Matt Perrine

Born and raised in Sacramento California, Matt Perrine began his musical career at the age of eleven playing tuba and writing arrangements with his first dixieland band.  After a brief stint in college at CSU Northbridge studying with Jim Self, Matt moved to New Orleans to pursue music full time.  It proved to be a perfect fit.  Since his arrival in 1992, his reputation on sousaphone, acoustic bass and electric bass has brought him accolades in nearly every musical genre in the local arena.  Local mainstays like Pete Fountain, Elis and Jason Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins, Jon Cleary, Nicholas Payton, John Ellis, and Stanton Moore (of Galactic) have enlisted his talents.  He has also lent his unique musical voice to some of New orleans more high-profile and visionary local music projects: most recently Bonerama, the Tin Men, and the Danza Quartet.  He is co-founder of one of the city's premier brass bands, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, and was the recipient of Offbeat Magazine's award for best tuba player for 2004 & 2007.

Called a "virtuoso sousaphone player" by Downbeat Magazine, Matt has been seen at nearly every major jazz festival in the US and Europe.  In 2003 he brought his own group, the Ambassadors of New Orleans, to Basil Switzerland for 9 weeks of sold-out performances culminating with a performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival.  He has toured Europe extensively with Swiss vocalist Erika Stucky and New York trombonist Ray Anderson.  He has contributed to upward of 100 recordings across instrumental and genre lines, recently including "Goin Home, a tribute to Fats Domino" where he recorded with John Cleary, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson.

In March 2007 Matt released Sunflower City, his first full length solo album.  Offbeat Magazine called it "...the best new release by a New Orleans musician this year."  It was nominated for not only "Best Traditional Jazz Album" by Offbeat Magazine, but also "Album of the Year 2007."

Matt is a founding member of up-and-coming rock-funk-brass project, Bonerama.