A pianist who was largely-self taught is releasing his first solo studio album in February.

Matthew Bourne, who lives in Bramhope, only began playing the piano when he was 15, but he has built an impressive career out of his love for music.

Matthew, 34, first rose to prominence in 2001 when he won a Perrier Jazz Award, following that with the Innovation accolade at the BBC Radio Jazz Awards in 2002. Since then he’s worked with a multitude of different projects, including The Electric Dr M, Bourne/Davis/Kane, Bilbao Syndrome, Nostalgia 77, Trio Grande, and the Broadway Project.

In March he will head to China as part of a residency programme organised by The British Council and PRS For Music Foundation.

In the meantime he is looking forward to the release of his album Montauk Variations, which he has dedicated to his teacher at school George Sidebottom.

The musician says he is forever indebted to the teacher at Kingham Hill School, Oxfordshire who “allowed me to explore many musical influences as fast as I could find them; not wishing to stifle any of the joy or freedom in discovering music in this way by steering me into the usual graded system of music examinations etc.”

Matthew, who was inspired to take up the piano after seeing Frank Sinatra playing and singing in one of his films, once played for 24 hours to raise money for the Hawksley Romania Trust.

He came to Leeds in 1996 to study at Leeds College of Music, where he gained a BA (Hons) in Jazz Studies and an MMus in performance. He then moved up to the University of Leeds to undertake his PhD.

Matthew, who has lived in Bramhope since 2003, said: “This album is for George Sidebottom, whose life has been dedicated to enriching the lives of countless others through his profound passion for music; and whose quiet patience and inspirational tutelage sought to bestow a lifelong love of music within anyone willing enough to listen. I am honoured to have been able to number myself among the many.”