Home base: New York, N.Y.
A.K.A.: U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador
His band: Matuto (“Brazilian slang for hillbilly”), which has been described as having the sound of “a Brazilian Carnaval in the Appalachian Mountains”
Most recent distinction: Matuto was one of 35 groups out of over 750 applicants from around the world selected for the Womex World Music Expo in Copenhagen
Discography: Entre Nous (2011), Matuto (2009), The Random Puller (2005) and The Mickey Baker Project (2001)
On this track: Alex Venguer, engineering
The message behind “Those Days Were Mine”: “The idea is pretty simple. I wanted to convey a sense of that time period when you’re figuring what to do with your life and you feel like you have all the time in the world. In college, time seemed more expansive and, since I got out, it seems to be moving faster every day. The further I get from those days, the more I realize what a gift they were. Not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy four years at a great school like the College of Charleston. So, those days were mine, they were yours, they were all of ours. They were a really special gift!
“This songwriting challenge gave me an opportunity to reflect on that time in college when the whole world – your whole life – is in front of you. Charleston was the perfect place to experience that kind of beginning and freedom – and some of the places that were really dear to me in those years show up in the lyrics.”
A fair representation: “This song is a little different from what I usually do, but still stylistically attuned to my musical direction: It incorporates the bluegrass influences, paired with Brazilian percussion. It’s more stripped down and really represents my musical style boiled down to its essence – it takes the ingredients and makes its own kind of recipe with a whole different taste.”
On making a career out of music: “The best part for me is traveling the world playing music. We tour over 250 days a year. It’s intense, but I love it. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities and experiences that I’ve had to perform. Traveling as a musician is so much different from being a tourist. We show up with our instruments, and all the doors just open. When we play for an audience, we see people in their most receptive state and we connect in ways beyond language. It’s a beautiful exchange that I truly believe makes the world a better place. Music makes me feel connected.”
Career highlights so far: “Definitely the jazz ambassador tours are up there. They provided a unique opportunity to share music in places that most American musicians just don’t get to play, like Kosovo and Macedonia in the Balkans. Also, playing with Matuto in Recife, Brazil. There is no place in this world like Recife when its streets undulate with the full swing of Brazilian Carnaval. That’s a life-changing experience right there!”
Check out more music by Clay Ross.
Lyrics for “Those Days Were Mine”
Pull up a rocking chair
Come sit on my front porch
We’re drinking julip tea
With a mint of course
The magnolias are free
The honey suckle’s a prize
There’s always something to see
If you just open your eyes
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
The days were long
And the nights were kind
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
I was yours
and you were mine
Take a walk down King
Hear the church bell ring
Like the Southern draw
Of momma calling “y’all”
Order collard greens
Down at Jestine’s
Take a nap on the lawn
So I can party til dawn
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
The days were long
And the nights were kind
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
I was yours
and you were mine
Come stick your feet in the sand
Folly Beach is our place
The sun is chasing the stars
And we’re just watching the race
Just you and me
And a voice in the sea
Telling us where to go
Telling us who to be
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
The days were long
And the nights were kind
Those days were mine
We had nothing but time
I was yours
and you were mine
Listen to all of the songs on The Soundtrack.
– Photos by Sully Sullivan
