Mat Mathews

• Name — Mat Mathews • Birth Name — Mathieu Hubert Wijnandts Schwarts • Born — 18 June 1924 • Birthplace — The Hague, Netherlands • Died — 12 February 2009 • Place of death — Rotterdam, Netherlands • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — Musician, arranger, record producer • Instrument — Accordion • Years Active — 1947 – 1993 • Label — Brunswick, Dawn • Website — www.matmathews.com

Mathews was born in The Hague and learned to play accordion while the Netherlands was still under the Nazi rule during World War II. He originally took up music to avoid forced labor as those engaged in cultural endeavors were pardoned during the initial stages of the occupation. During the war he escaped from a Germany-bound prisoner train and hid for three years in the attic of his mother's house. After hearing Joe Mooney on an AFN radio broadcast after the war, he decided to play jazz.

Mathews moved to New York in 1952 and formed a quartet which included Herbie Mann. He also worked with Kenny Clarke, Art Farmer, Percy Heath, Carmen McRae, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Puma, Milt Jackson and Julius Watkins. During the 1950s, he was consistently rated among the top three accordionists by the annual Down Beat readers poll, usually coming second to Art Van Damme. 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. In the 1970s, he worked in the US with Charlie Byrd, Doug Duke, Marian McPartland, and Clark Terry.

With Bob Stewart • Let`s Talk About Love (London Dawn, 1956) With Carmen McRae • Carmen McRae (Bethlehem, 1955) • By Special Request (Decca, 1956) With Joe Puma • Wild Kitten (Dawn, 1958) With Rita Reys, Sylvia Pierce & Peggy Serra • New Voices (Dawn, 1957)

Mat Mathews is recorded as a citizen of Kingdom of the Netherlands. Recorded with the occupation jazz musician. Recorded with the occupation accordionist. Classed in the genre jazz.