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http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=20-Feb-2009&lang=en&s=662
http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=20-Feb-2009&lang=en&s=662
20-Feb-2009
Mat Mathews (1924-2009), Rotterdam - Netherlandsby Rob Howard |
 Dutch jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (born Mathieu Schwartz) died on February 12th in Rotterdam at the age of 84. Mathews was born in The Hague and learned to play accordion while the Netherlands was under Nazi rule during World War Two. After hearing Joe Mooney on a radio broadcast after the war, he decided to begin playing jazz. From 1947 to 1950 Mathews played with The Millers in Holland, and then moved to New York in 1952. He formed a quartet there, and also played with numerous other jazz musicians. He discovered the jazz singer Carmen McCrae in 1954, and worked as her accompanist. In 1956 he played in the group The 4 Most with Al Cohn, Gener Quill, Hank Jones and Mundell Lowe. Later in the 1950s and into the 1960s he worked primarily as a studio musician, taught at the Conservatory in Philadelphia, and in 1964 moved back to the Netherlands. There he continued work in studios as an arranger and producer, and recorded less as a player. Several tracks by Mat Mathews were included in the 2007 CD box set ‘The Jazz and Swing Story’. |