David Matthews (born March 4, 1942), is an American

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical ins ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

, and

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

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Early life and education

Matthews was born David Richard Matthews in Sonora, Kentucky. He earned a bachelor's degree in composition from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Career

Matthews has composed television soundtracks as well as albums with the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. He is the leader of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. Matthews was also the leader of the musical group the Grodeck Whipperjenny. In 1970, he began working as both an arranger and bandleader for James Brown. Matthews has worked with many musicians, including

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

, and the

Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for " Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976. Career The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the ...

. He was staff arranger for Creed Taylor's

CTI Records CTI Records (Creed Taylor Incorporated) is a jazz record label founded in 1967 by Creed Taylor. CTI was a subsidiary of A&M before becoming independent in 1970. Its first album was '' A Day in the Life'' by guitarist Wes Montgomery in 1967. T ...

label in the mid-1970s, working on albums for artists such as

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...

Grover Washington Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. ...

Hank Crawford Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was musical director for Ray Charles ...

, and

. In 1977, he became one of the first artists to dedicate an entire composition to

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel ''Dune'' and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked a ...

's ''Dune'', publishing an album that went by the same name. In 1978, Matthews arranged strings and orchestra and played piano on

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...

's album ''

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

''. Matthews has been sampled by many hip-hop musicians such as

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, Nas,

MF DOOM Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

, Redman and

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

and others.

Discography

As leader

* ''The Grodeck Whipperjenny'',

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...

(recorded 1970) * ''Big Band Recorded at the Five Spot'' (Muse Records, 1975) * ''Shoogie Wanna Boogie'', (

Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus ''Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, thoug ...

, 1976) (with Whirlwind) * ''Dune'' ( CTI, 1977) * ''Digital Love'' (Electric Bird, 1979) * ''Grand Cross'', ( Bellaphon, 1983) * ''Delta Lady'' (Electric Bird, 1983) * ''Super Funky Sax'' (Electric Bird, 1984) * ''Billy Boy'', (King/Paddle Wheel, 1986) * ''Waltz for Debby'' (Paddle Wheel, 1987) * ''Speed Demon'' (Electric Bird, 1989) (with the First Calls) * ''Jazz Ballads with Strings'' (Sweet Basil, 1991) * ''Super Trombone'' (Sweet Basil, 1995) * ''Girl from Ipanema'' (Videoarts Music, 2002) (with N.Y. Friends) * ''Impressions'' (Videoarts Music, 2002) (with N.Y. Friends) * ''Hey Duke!'' (2005) (with the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra) * ''Cosmic City'' (2006) (with the Electric Birds) * ''Digital Love'' (2006) (with the Electric Birds)

Appears on

* James Brown, ''

Sho' Is Funky Down Here ''Sho Is Funky Down Here'' is the 31st studio album by American musician James Brown, released in 1971 on King Records, his last album on the label after having been on the label since 1956. It was #26 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and #137 on ...

'', (

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

, 1971) * James Brown, "

I Cried "I Cried" is a popular song written by Michael Elias and Billy Duke. The best-selling version was done by Patti Page, reaching number 13 on the ''Billboard'' chart in 1954. It was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70416. The song was ...

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

Pt. 2", (Starday King, 1971) 7" * Vicki Anderson, "I'll Work It Out/In the Land of Milk and Honey", (Brownstone, 1971) 7" * James Brown, "

I Got a Bag of My Own "I Got a Bag of My Own" is a funk song by James Brown. It features an arrangement by Dave Matthews. Released as a single in 1972, it charted #3 R&B and #44 Pop.White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In ''Star Time'' (pp. 54–59) D booklet ...

", (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, 1972) 7" *

Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)". A favorit ...

, '' Think (About It)'', (

, 1972) * James Brown, " Sexy, Sexy, Sexy", (Polydor, 1973) 7"

Production

;With

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

*'' End of a Rainbow'' (CTI, 1976) - Arranger ;With

*'' In Concert-Carnegie Hall'' (CTI, 1975) - Arranger *'' Good King Bad'' (CTI, 1975) - Arranger *'' Benson & Farrell'' with

Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name o ...

(CTI, 1976) - Arranger ;With Jim Hall *''

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a classical guitar concerto by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the m ...

'' (Evidence, 1981) - Composer, Arranger, Electric Piano ;With

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded n ...

*''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ...

'' (Kudu, 1975) - Arranger ;With

*'' I Hear a Symphony'' (Kudu, 1975) - Composer and Arranger *''

Hank Crawford's Back ''Hank Crawford's Back'' is the seventeenth album led by saxophonist Hank Crawford and his sixth for the Kudu label which was released in 1976.Payne, DKudu Records discographyaccessed October 9, 2015 Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars.< ...

'' (Kudu, 1976) - Composer and Arranger ;With

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doubl ...

*'' Something You Got'' (CTI, 1977) - Arranger & Piano *'' Big Blues'' with Jim Hall (CTI, 1978) - Arranger ;With

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

*'' The Main Attraction'' (Kudu, 1976) - Arranger ;With Urbie Green *'' The Fox'' (CTI, 1976) - Arranger *'' Señor Blues'' (CTI, 1977) - Arranger & Piano ;With

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

*''

Autophysiopsychic ''Autophysiopsychic'' is an album by American multi-instrumentalist and composer Yusef Lateef recorded in 1977 and released on the CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 27, 2012 The record was recorded in October 1977 at Ele ...

'' (CTI, 1977) - Arranger With O'Donel Levy *'' Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) - Arranger ;With

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

*''

Many Shades of Blue ''Many Shades of Blue'' is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell released on the Mainstream label in 1974.Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

*''

House Of The Rising Sun A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'' (Kudu, 1975) *''

Turn This Mutha Out ''Turn This Mutha Out'' is a 1977 album by Idris Muhammad. Produced and arranged by CTI/Kudu staff arranger David Matthews, it was aimed more at the R&B/dance market than the jazz market. One of only a few Kudu albums not produced by label own ...

'' (Kudu, 1977) *''

Boogie to the Top Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mu ...

'' (Kudu, 1978) ;With

*''

'' (CTI, 1978) - Arranger & Piano ;With

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

*''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (CTI, 1977) - Arranger & Piano

References

External links

* * *

Interviews

James Brown Arranger David Matthews Lecture (Rome 2004) , Red Bull Music Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, David 1942 births Living people People from Hardin County, Kentucky The J.B.'s members American jazz pianists American bandleaders American jazz composers American male jazz composers Muse Records artists James Brown University of Cincinnati alumni Jazz musicians from Kentucky Manhattan Jazz Quintet members CTI Records artists American jazz keyboardists American male pianists American session musicians Jazz fusion pianists American music arrangers 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century American keyboardists