Rich A. Matteson, (born Richmond Albert Matteson, January 12, 1929,

Forest Lake, Minnesota Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, located 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census. The 2021 population is 20,608. History Forest Lake began as a stop on the St. Paul ...

– June 24, 1993,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz composer/arranger.

Euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

was his primary instrument, although Matteson was proficient on several other low brass instruments, particularly

bass trumpet The bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixt ...

valve trombone A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, and Helicon. He also was a proficient

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

. Except for

Kiane Zawadi Bernard Atwell McKinney, later Kiane Zawadi (born November 26, 1932) is an American jazz trombonist and euphonium player, one of the few jazz soloists on the latter instrument. Biography McKinney was born into a family of ten children, several of ...

, Matteson was the only significant euphonium soloist in jazz.

Career

Matteson served two years (1950–52) with the U.S. Army bands. He then studied music at the University of Iowa. In 1955, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts (his principal instruments were tuba and euphonium). He then taught high school in

Durant, Iowa Durant is a city in Cedar, Muscatine, and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,871 at the time of the 2020 census. The Scott County portion of Durant is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metrop ...

. In 1957, he moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. There he performed on

, played the tuba in a walking bass style with

Bob Scobey Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963) was an American jazz trumpet player of traditional or Dixieland music based originally in the San Francisco area and later in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Tucumcari, New Mex ...

(1958), and worked with the

Dukes of Dixieland The Dukes of Dixieland was an American, New Orleans "Dixieland"-style revival band, originally formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records ...

for two years (1959–61).Winnie Hu, ''Jazz educator Rich Matteson dies in Florida Musician helped build U of North Texas program'',

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

, June 29, 1993 In 1967 he conducted the Brothers Castro Big Band in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. He joined the faculty of University of North Texas College of Music in 1973. In 1976 he co-founded, with tuba player

Harvey Phillips Harvey Gene Phillips, Sr. (December 2, 1929 – October 20, 2010) was an American tuba player. He served as the Distinguished Professor of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington (from 1971 to 1994) and was dedicated advocate ...

, the

Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort is a US big band scored for low brass instruments – trombones, euphoniums, and tubas – performed by artists who are renowned in jazz or classical or both. History The group was formed in 1975 by Rich Matteso ...

, which consisted of three euphoniums, three tubas, and rhythm section. In 1986, the University of North Florida appointed Matteson the Koger Distinguished Professor of American Music and, upon retirement in 1992, the university named him Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Awards

* 1993 — Inducted into the Jazz Educators Hall of Fame,

International Association for Jazz Education International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), formerly a not-for-profit corporation based in Manhattan, Kansas, was a volunteer-run organization that, among other things, allocated student scholarships through its approved festivals program ...

* 1992 —

Down Beat Lifetime Achievement Award ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

* 2000 — Inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to jazz as an educator and musician

Selected discography

* ''Uniquely Rich'', The Rich Matteson Foundation * ''The Sound of the Wasp'', Phil Wilson & Rich Matteson * ''The Riverboat Five on a Swinging Date'', Rich Matteson, Helicon * ''Balls'', Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort, Harvey Phillips Foundation and Richmond A. Matteson Legacy Productions * ''Pardon Our Dust, We're Making Changes'', Rich Matteson Sextet -

John Allred (musician) John Allred (born 1962) is an American jazz trombonist. He is the son of another jazz trombonist, Bill Allred. Career After graduating from high school, John Allred moved to southern California and started his professional music career with t ...

Shelly Berg Shelton "Shelly" Glen Berg (born August 18, 1955) is an American classical and jazz pianist and music educator. He is the dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and the school's Patricia L. Frost P ...

, Jack Petersen, Lou Fischer,

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

; Four Leaf Clover (FLC CD 131) (1990)

Audio & video samples of Matteson performing

* * *

Personal life

Rich Matteson was born to the marriage of Richmond Albert Matteson (b. 1900

Charles City, IA Charles City is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Iowa. Charles City is a significant commercial and transportation center for the area. U.S. Routes 18 and 218, Iowa Highway 14, and the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railro ...

- d. 1973

Denton, TX Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

) and Bessie Mary Matteson (''née'' Scholer, b. 1904 Zumbro Falls, MN - d. 1986

Rock Island, IL Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located on t ...

). * 19 Mar 1964 – Matteson married Priscilla A. (''nee'' ?) (b. 1938); they divorced 17 May 1973, Dallas County, TX. While married, they had two children. * 22 Dec 1973 – Matteson married Michelle L. Cox (b. 1947- ) in

References