Matt

Matt Stubbs is a clarinetist and saxophonist based in Los Angeles. He is the first clarinetist to have been awarded a fellowship with the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, where he studied from 2020 to 2023 under the mentorship of Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs, and Dick Oatts.

Born in San Jose, CA, and raised in Mountain View, Matt began playing clarinet at age nine. As a teen, he performed with the San Jose and San Francisco High School All-Star programs and toured Eastern Europe with the El Camino Senior Symphony.

Matt earned his B.A. in Performance and Jazz Composition, magna cum laude, from Berklee College of Music, and his M.M. in Contemporary Performance from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where he studied with Terri Lyne Carrington, George Garzone, Danilo Pérez, Kenny Werner, and Rakalam Bob Moses. He was the last clarinetist to be featured in the late Ralph Peterson’s Fo’tet.

With over 20 years of experience on clarinet and alto saxophone, Matt has toured internationally with big bands and all-star ensembles, and recorded for world-renowned artists. He now leads his own sextet, performing original compositions throughout the Los Angeles area.

Matt is currently on the Jazz Faculty at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), where he provides private saxophone instruction and teaches courses in Jazz Improvisation and Artistic Development. His teaching style emphasizes improvisational fluency through instrumental technique, transcription, and music theory. Using supplemental listening, worksheets, and a focus on jazz vocabulary, he helps students build strong foundations and a deep, personal connection to the music.