May Whitaker News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

 Step inside the blind jazz prodigy's home studio.

If you haven’t heard jazz musician Matthew Whitaker play the piano, hurry, and download any of his recordings and prepare to have your heart lifted and get carried away.  Whitaker, 20, a true prodigy more than lives up to his moniker, jazz phenom. 

Matthew Whitaker This past spring, Whitaker made his first appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. "It is amazing to be here. Like, this is where jazz started," Whitaker told 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. Whitaker plays with his shoes off so he can feel the pedals and his head turned so he can feel the crowd. The sheer complexity and spontaneity of his sets make the most seasoned musicians sweat and jazz fans go wild. But even with all his talent, Whitaker said he still feels some nerves before a big show. "Honestly, I was a tiny bit nervous," Whitaker said. "But, you know, on...

Hackensack piano prodigy Matthew Whitaker draws comparisons to Stevie Wonder Matthew Whitaker has played a lot of rooms. The "room" — showbiz-speak for the venue — might be large, like the  Apollo Theater in Harlem (1,506 seats). Or it might be more modest, like the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (268 seats). But the room where he's most at home is the one he's in right now: the living room. "How wide do you want the piano open?" he asks. As if it matters. Open or closed, Matthew Whitaker is going to fill his house in Hackensack with more music than it can handle.