Mat Mathews, accordion player, passed away

Mat Mathews, accordion player, passed away (English) Mat Mathews, accordeonist, overleden (Nederlands)

A rather extensive Mat Mathews Discography
MAT MATHEWS, ACCORDION PLAYER PASSED AWAY
Hans Koert
On the 12th of February, 2009 the Dutch accordion player Mathieu Schwartz passed away in Rotterdam aged 84 years old. He changed his name into Mat Mathews when he became a US citizen, as Mathieu was too hard to pronounce for Americans and he disliked his famiuly name Schwartz. He became famous in the 1950s as an accordion player in the New York jazz scene. This fact passed by almost unnoticed by the jazz scene and the news media. A shame !!
Born in The Hague, in the western part of The Netherlands, June 1924, he became fascinated to jazz thanks to a radio program he heard by the Joe Mooney Quartet on American Forces Networks (AFN) and he tried to play this "new" bebop music on his accordion. His first recordings were two glass acetates from 1944 with guitar player Peter Van Houten on the Van Wouw label. In the early 1950s he moved to the States and became one of the first to play jazz on his buttoned instrument. He played and recorded with musicians like Joe Puma, a New York guitar player, Carmen McRae, Oscar Pettiford and made numerous recordings under his own name for Dawn, Verve and Ariole. You can find an extensive Mat Mathews Discography below this contribution.

Adri Troost, guitar player and vocalist and Mat Mathews in Norway (1980s.)

Enjoy Mat playing in a fragment of a blues ( It Don't Mean A Thing ..) accompanied by a trio at the Bij Max Jazz Club (the club of Max Teeuwisse aka Max Teawhistle) in Den Oever (The Netherlands) July 1997.

One of those albums on the Dawn label is The Modern Art of Jazz by Mat Mathews with an all-star group featuring Art Farmer on the trumpet, Julius Watkins on the French horn, Gigi Gryce on alto saxophone, Herbie Mann on flute, Dick Katz at the piano, Joe Puma on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on the cello and bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. It's one of my favorite Mat Mathews albums. As his music didn't become a commercial success, he had to make a living as a studio musician, until he returned, disillusioned, to The Netherlands in the mid 1960s.

In The Netherlands he accompanied musicians like Rita Reys on one of her US tours and played with The Millers, a popular swing combo that played in the Benny Goodman style.
He became a studio musicians, arranger, producer and performed now and then, but his music never got the recognition it deserved. Other Dutch accordion players, that played jazzy sounds on their instrument, like Art Van Damme in the States, Harry Mooten and Johnny Meyer in The Netherlands seemed to be more popular. The last decades he suffered from geriatric complaints and a weak health. I found an extensive series of articles in the Dutch language titled Mat Mathews by Piet Van Tienen ( Etten-Leur -The Netherlands) in the Doctor Jazz Magazine 179 - 180 -181 (2002-2003).
Love to finish with a fragment of a tune sung by Max Teeuwisse, better known as Max Teawhistle, featuring Mat Mathews on accordion, Jean Louis Van Dam at the piano, Ben Janssen on bass and Fred Van Opzeeland on drums.

Thanks to Jerry Priessen (Amsterdam) who pointed me to this sad news.
Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl

AN EXTENSIVE MAT MATHEWS DISCOGRAPHY - Hans Koert
= Mat Mathews and Peter Van Houten: (Van Wouw) (1944)

= Mat Mathews Quintet (Brunswick) (1953)

= Mat Mathews Quartet (Brunswick) (1953)

= Mat Mathews - Accordion solos (at Carnegie Hall) ( Brunswick) (1954)

= Carmen McRae (Bethlehem) (1954)

= Carmen McRae sings Great American Songwriters (Decca) (1954)

= Jerry Vaughan (American Record Artist) (1955)

= Squeeze Me - The Jazz and Swinging Accordion Story (Proper 4CD box) ( 1955)

= The 4 Most + Bob Stewart Sing The Arrangements of Joe Derise (Dawn) (1956)

= Mat Mathews - The Gently Art of Love (Dawn) (1956)

= Mat Mathews - The Modern Art of Jazz (Dawn) (1956)

= The New York Jazz Quartet - Music For Suburban Living ( Coral)(1957)

= The New York Jazz Quartet - Adam's Theme (Elektra) (1957)

= The New York Jazz Quartet - Gone Native (Savoy) (1957)

= Joe Puma Quartet - Wild Kitten (Dawn) (1957)

= Four French Horns + Rhythm (Savoy)( 1957)

= Rita Reys acc. by Mat Mathews Combo ( Dawn) (1957)

= Mat Mathews Quartet At Newport (Verve) (1957)

= Mat Mathews and his All Stars ( Design) (1959)

= Bobby Dukoff - Off The Cuff (Vik) (1957)

= Bubber Johnson - (King) (1958)

= Mat Mathews ( JJM Prod.) (1959)

= Mat Mathews All Stars - Swingin' Pretty And All That Jazz (Design)(1959)

= Bob Stewart acc by Mat Mathews' Quintet - Let's Talk About Love (Dawn) (1960)

= Mat Mathews - Young Duke ( Valley Vue) (1960)

= Frans Van Bergen - Such Sweeet Swinging ( Regal) (1966)

= Frans Van Bergen - Violet On Velvet ( Regal ) (1968)

= The Millers (Art) (1968)

= The Millers - Miller '69 (Art)(1968)

= Sanny Day - Sunny Sanny ( Camden) (1968)

= Mat Mathews Tentette / Quartet ( MRE Records) (1969)

= Coen Van Nassau - Swingin' On The Malllets ( RCA/Camden) ( 1969)

= The Millers - Soft Swing in Stereo ( CBS) (1969)

= The Millers ( CBS) (1970)

= The Millers ( Delta) ( early 1970s)

= Mat Mathews Orchestra featuring Lee Towers ( Ariola) (1975)

= The Millers - Miller'76 (DSC Prod.) (1975)

= Buddy Tate Sextet (Riff) (1976-1977)

= The Millers (Delta) (1976-1977)

= The Millers ( Munich) (1972)

= Mat Mathews (Audiophile) (1986)

= North Sea Big Band - Big Band Den Haag .. And Friends ( CCS) (1992-1993)

= Mat Mathews Sextet - Meditation (Jazz World) ( 1994)

More links you should visit:
Rony Verbiest Gus Viseur Swing-Musette Art Van Damme Richard Galliano Tangaria Quartet Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Keep Swinging News letter Keep Swinging Contributions