A decent soloist and a fine arranger, Dave Matthews was part of several important bands. He grew up in McAlester, OK and studied at Oklahoma University and Chicago Musical College. Matthews' first major job was as an altoist with Ben Pollack's Orchestra from 1935-36. He then worked with Jimmy Dorsey from 1936-38 and Benny Goodman from 1938-39, occasionally soloing on record with Benny Goodman. Matthews left Goodman to join Harry James' first big band (1939-40) and he was responsible for the classic arrangement of "Two O'Clock Jump." In 1940, Matthews switched permanently to tenor, and he returned to James for a period in 1941. Although he did not get to solo much with Hal McIntyre (1941-42), Woody Herman (1942-43), Stan Kenton (1944) and Charlie Barnet (off and on from 1944-49), Matthews contributed arrangements to each of the bands. His Duke Ellington-influenced work for Herman helped the clarinetist modernize his orchestra and set the stage for the First Herd. In addition, Matthews wrote "Portrait of Edward Kennedy Ellington" for Barnet. After leaving Barnet, Matthews mostly freelanced as an arranger for the next few decades, occasionally leading his own band in Reno, NV. As a player, Matthews' brightest moments were probably his alto solos on Bud Freeman/Eddie Condon dates in 1938 and a tenor feature ("Solitude") with the Capitol Jazzmen in 1943. His only dates as a leader resulted in a single title ("Sepia Nocturne") for Capitol in 1945 and a V-Disc in 1946. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi