Pretzil SteX

Pretzil Stex is a jazz quartet collaboration from musicians who converged in Manitoba, Canada at a certain time and place. Recent Brandon University faculty Jeff Presslaff (piano), Matt Steckler (sax), Eric Platz (drums) and BU alumnus James Hamilton (bass) met weekly during the 2019-20 academic year to improvise, flesh out new creative concepts, and workshop new pieces and arrangements. They performed two well-received shows at Brandon University and CCFM Mardi Jazz in the spring of 2020.

But the story goes further back than that. Presslaff, Platz and Steckler themselves hail from the northeast USA. Matt met Jeff (a family friend) as a kid, captivated by the latter’s quartet which featured the legendary Cornelius Bumpus (Steely Dan, Doobie Bros.). He also knew Eric as a fellow grad student at New England Conservatory, where the two were often called on to perform with visiting artists Marty Ehrlich, George Lewis, Steve Lacy and others. All four have an association with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (James’ father is noted bassist and educator Steve Hamilton), and for those familiar with the music community in that region, the project had been one of the most anticipated groups in the making.

As individual artists, the musicians have also been heard with Matty Stecks & Musical Tramps, Ron Paley, Papa Mambo, Carrie Rodriguez, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Jim McNeely, Lonnie Plaxico and many others, at festivals internationally and at distinguished venues, including the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center and Austin City Limits.

With this first recorded effort, Garden Variety aspires to spread the gospel that live bands still make something extraordinary from the ordinary. The repertoire is co-written by Presslaff and Steckler, who individually have received critical acclaim for their compositions. The illustrious Wayne Shorter has said Presslaff “gets the harmony just right!,” while Downbeat and Jazz Times have described Steckler’s writing as “delightfully eclectic” and “inspired by greater artistic depth.” The music of Pretzil Stex promises no less, and is best characterized by melodies that stick, (re-)harmonies that bend, rhythms that crunch, and bold improvising personalities - taken seriously, but with a grain of salt…

Jeff Presslaff - piano & keyboard; compositions & arrangements (2, 3, 6, 8; SOCAN/BMI)
Matt Steckler - saxophones & flute; compositions & arrangements (1, 4, 5, 7; ASCAP)
Eric Platz - drums
James Hamilton - bass
* Alone Together (Dietz/Schwartz)
* If I Should Lose You (Rainger/Robin)
Produced by Jeff Presslaff, Matt Steckler & Grant Trippel
Produced with the financial participation of Manitoba Film & Music

Recorded & Mixed July 25-28, 2022 at Exchange District Studios, Winnipeg MB Canada
Recording Engineer: Grant Trippel

Mastered at Tailored Recording, Winnipeg MB Canada
Mastering Engineer: Jordan Jackiew

Art Design: Jaime Breiwick/BSide Graphics
Artwork: Charles Steckler & Jeff Presslaff

Matty Stecks & Musical Tramps

Matthew Steckler, aka Matty Stecks, performs and composes in several musical settings internationally. Since Fall 2017, he is on the faculty in Jazz & Contemporary Popular Music at the renowned Brandon University School of Music in Canada. Primarily a saxophonist/woodwind specialist, he also performs on vocals, keyboards, percussion and electronic media, bringing a dynamic, holistic approach to the live musical experience.

As a composer and bandleader, Matthew has been recognized for his seminal work with the projects Dead Cat Bounce and Persiflage, which were recognized in Downbeat & Jazz Times, and featured at festivals and major concert series in the United States. Other projects he has led include SWIPE Cartel and Lavender Jones & The Dead Giveaways. Most recently, his Musical Tramps on Ropeadope Records is a welcome addition to the Canadian jazz community.

In other collaborative settings, Matthew has most recently been in recording projects led by the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Eric Hangen y La Ruta, Alex Torres Latin Orchestra, News From Planet Kniffen, MC Frontalot and Jazz Composers Alliance. He recently has shared the stage with Michael Cain & Sola, Tara Davidson/William Carn Nonet, Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Presslaff, Keith Price, Ami Cheon & the Brandon Chamber Players.

Over the course of his career, Matthew has also performed alongside Lonnie Plaxico, Gary Smulyan, Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Roswell Rudd, George Russell, Gunther Schuller, Curtis Fowlkes, Pheeroan Aklaff, Jon Hendricks, Jay Hoggard, George Lewis, Marty Ehrlich, Wynton Marsalis, Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, Chris Lightcap, Greg Burk, Jim McNeely, Lenny Pickett, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Bob Moses, Greg Hopkins, Gerald Cleaver, Bobby Sanabria, Gary Morgan, Ed Palermo, Club D’Elf, Max Creek and the Jazz Composers Alliance.

Matthew has written for concert music, theatre, film and game audio settings, and continues his own foundational work in electroacoustics and multimedia that began with his 2013 research-based, extended work Eco Beat Heresy. His area of research interest is in the burgeoning field of embodied music cognition, to which he contributed the 2013 dissertation The Play Space in Embodied Composition: A Study of Social Process in the Creation of Music for Improvisers.

Matthew holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Composition from New York University, an M.M. in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory of Music, and a B.A. in Music from Wesleyan University. He studied performance with Jerry Bergonzi, Thomas Chapin, Danilo Perez, Cecil McBee, Nick Brignola, Jay Hoggard and Paul Bley, and composition/theory with Jim McNeely, Anton Vishio, Marc Consoli, Jerica Oblak, Justin Dello Joio, Dinu Ghezzo, Ron Sadoff, Lee Hyla, Anthony Braxton and George Russell.