Mat Mathews, born Mathieu Hubert Wijnandts Schwarts (June 18, 1924 – February 12, 2009),[1] was a Dutch jazz accordionist.
Mat Mathews | |
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Birth name | Mathieu Hubert Wijnandts Schwarts |
Born | The Hague, Netherlands | June 18, 1924
Died | February 12, 2009 Clarence Center, New York, U.S. | (aged 84)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, arranger, record producer |
Instrument(s) | Accordion |
Years active | 1947 – 1993 |
Labels | Brunswick, Dawn |
Website | www |
Mathews was born in The Hague and learned to play accordion while the Netherlands was still under the Nazi rule during World War II. After hearing Joe Mooney on a radio broadcast after the war, he decided to play jazz.[2]
Mathews moved to New York in 1952 and formed a quartet which included Herbie Mann.[2] He also worked with Kenny Clarke, Art Farmer, Percy Heath, Carmen McRae, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Puma, Milt Jackson and Julius Watkins.[2] He worked mainly as a session musician in the late 1950s, and returned to the Netherlands in 1964, where he worked as an arranger, session musician, and record producer.[2] In the 1970s, he worked in the US with Charlie Byrd, Doug Duke, Marian McPartland, and Clark Terry.[3]
With Carmen McRae