Matuto with Clay Ross

Matuto with Clay Ross

Matuto (ma-two-toe) is Brazilian slang for country bumpkin. Imagine the sound of a Brazilian Carnaval in the Appalachian Mountains. A sound where exotic percussion instruments rumble beneath blues drenched vocals, Telecaster twangs, and folksy fiddle tunes. Now, imagine these sounds in the hands of some of NYC's finest young improvisers as they light up club and festival stages world wide.

On his Ropeadope debut, Matuto, Clay Ross offers us a peek into his diverse and dynamic musical world. Composer, singer-songwriter, and producer, this South Carolina native has become an in-demand guitarist on the NYC jazz, world, and roots music scenes. In the last four years, Ross has submerged himself in Brazilian music as a member of Cyro Baptista's world-renowned percussion ensemble "Beat the Donkey." He has completed four international tours as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador and currently performs at bluegrass festivals across North America with rising folk star April Verch.

 

"Mr. Ross is a very deft guitarist with a rich vocabulary of folk, blues, and jazz at his disposal…" - Wall Street Journal

"In the past 3 years, he was the guy in the band who evolved the most, turning into this incredible, multidimensional musician.  I don't feel like Clay just went and got a rhythm from Brazil and put another music style on top.  He assimilated Northeastern Brazilian music and created a new conception." - Cyro Baptista in the Down Beat Magazine Feature.

"Countrified licks and insinuating samba groves merge in weird and wonderful ways on this unorthodox and delightful debut." - Jazz Times Magazine

"spanning continents with a down-home sensibility and an explorer's curiosity." - All About Jazz

"Ross has earned Jazz Ambassador status for his guitar stylings, but his new disc, Matuto, is a subtle blend of bluegrass and baiao that adds playful vocals, cavaquinho, and kashaka to his musical arsenal." - Bold Life Magazine

"Ross hits upon the shared joy in rural music from everywhere." - Free Times, Columbia SC

"Best of 2009 World Music… Telecaster-wielding songwriter Clay Ross is leading the guitar-meets-world revolution" -  wnyc.org

"Clay Ross thinks like a Poet, writes like a Novelist and plays the guitar like a Master."   - Jambase.com

"Sly, subtle wit colors his guitar style: playful and humorous but deeply complex."- Jambands.com

Karaoke on 2nd Tuesdays