“Oh Baby Baby” is the first release after being unable to play his horn for a year due to TMJ.
The pain in Matt Willard’s jaw, neck, and shoulders was so severe that he had to stop playing his saxophone for a full year. That’s a difficult ask of an emerging 26-year-old contemporary jazz recording artist, but the TMJ or lockjaw diagnosis explained why the muscles in his jaw locked up and prevented movement. The joy Willard experienced when he had healed and was able to pick up his sax and return to the studio permeates his celebratory new single, “Oh Baby Baby,” which he wrote and produced with Martin Blockson. The track is now available digitally.
Listening to “Oh Baby Baby,” there are no traces of the difficult journey Willard endured over the last year marked by hurt, discomfort, and frustration. His lead and backing tenor sax play pours forth harmonious hooks, elated melodies, and impassioned technical prowess in lock step with the beats and groove skillfully constructed by bassist Donnell Smith and drummer Chris Jernigan.
"The pain from TMJ was difficult to deal with, but the hardest part was my inability to play saxophone. I had to stop playing saxophone for about a year to heal enough to play my horn again. Given my intense lifelong passion for music and desire to keep playing, this forced year-long hiatus was extremely challenging,” Willard admitted.
“So, when I was able to get back in the studio to write more songs, I decided to write something that was driven towards finding that distraction from everyday life, whether it be driving your car down the highway or chilling on a beach with a margarita or pina colada in hand. ‘Oh Baby Baby’ was written to take your mind to your own version of paradise. Even though you may not physically be in paradise, you can still get a glimpse of serenity, peace, and relaxation by just closing your eyes and listening to some good music.”
Willard debuted with the tropical, Latin-tinged single “Por la Orrilla del Mar” in 2021, which he recorded and produced in Nashville with Eric Copeland. A year later, he dropped his debut album, "Soul Assassin.” The project’s lead single, "Electric Shock," was added out of the box to national broadcaster SiriusXM’s Watercolors playlist and charged into the top five on the Groove Jazz/Radiowave chart.
Willard’s reemergence includes returning to the concert stage. He has a handful of concert dates lined up in July and August near his Hampton Roads, Virginia home. And he’s inspired to write and record new music for his next album.
For more information, please visit https://www.mattwillardsax.com.
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