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 instr ...

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, ja ...

, 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 orches ...

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 databas ...

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Early life and education

Matthews was born David Richard Matthews in

Sonora, Kentucky Sonora is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 513 at the 2010 census, up from 350 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Sonora ...

. 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 James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. 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 incorporated ...

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 such a ...

, 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 s ...

. 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. Th ...

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.,

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

, 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, blues, ...

'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 Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

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 ...

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, Redman and Large Professor and others.

Discography

As leader

* ''The Grodeck Whipperjenny'',

People A person (plural, : 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 pr ...

(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, th ...

, 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

, '' Sho' Is Funky Down Here'', (

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 tit ...

, 1971) * James Brown, " I Cried/

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 Vicki Anderson (born Myra Barnes; November 21, 1939) is an American soul singer best known for her performances with the James Brown Revue. She recorded a number of singles under both her birth and stage names. She is the widow of Bobby Byrd a ...

, "I'll Work It Out/In the Land of Milk and Honey", (Brownstone, 1971) 7" * James Brown, " I Got a Bag of My Own", (

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 favorite ...

, ''

Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s ...

'', (

, 1972) * James Brown, "

Sexy, Sexy, Sexy "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy" is a 1973 song written and recorded by James Brown, for the film Slaughter's Big Rip-Off. The song appeared on the film's soundtrack and was released as a single in 1973. The song, and wider album, emerged from an era which saw ...

", (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 ''In Concert-Carnegie Hall'' is a live album by American guitarist George Benson featuring a performance recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1975 and released on the CTI Records, CTI label in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 28, 2012 ...

'' (CTI, 1975) - Arranger *''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic revi ...

'' (CTI, 1975) - Arranger *''

Benson & Farrell ''Benson & Farrell'' is an album co-led by American guitarist George Benson and jazz saxophonist and flutist Joe Farrell;Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 both artists had previously released several albums on the CTI labe ...

'' 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 mos ...

'' (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 nu ...

*''

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 ant ...

'' (Kudu, 1975) - Arranger ;With

*''

I Hear a Symphony "I Hear a Symphony" is a 1965 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song became their sixth number-one pop hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop ...

'' (Kudu, 1975) - Composer and Arranger *'' Hank Crawford's Back'' (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, double ...

*'' 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'' (CTI, 1977) - Arranger With

O'Donel Levy O'Donel "Butch" Levy (September 20, 1945 – March 14, 2016) was a Rhythm and blues, rhythm & blues, funk and jazz guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland. He was brother of session drummer Stafford Levy. Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at ...

*''

Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky ''Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky'' is an album by American jazz-funk guitarist O'Donel Levy recorded in 1974 and released on the Groove Merchant label.

'' (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'' (Mainstream, 1974) - Composer, Arranger and Conductor ;With

*''

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'' (Kudu, 1977) *'' Boogie to the Top'' (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