 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alvi
Date: 2015-05-10 00:14
Hello!
I'm looking a infromation about magnificent mouthpiece maker mr. Everett R. Matson. I'm writing master thesis about mouthpieces, and I can't to find biography mr. Matson :(
I know is one interview in the clarinet in vol. 29 #1 December 2001
"An Interview with Everett R. Matson" by de Kant, Ron
Maybe someone have a copy of this article and can give me? (it will be great)
or some infromation about him?
Thanks for all answer!
Greetings!
WS
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-10 01:53
It may be a distinction without a difference for your purpose, but AFAIK Matsen didn't make mouthpieces. He was highly skilled at refacing and restoring worn and damaged mouthpieces. He also could make a perfectly good mouthpiece better for an individual player by adjusting its dimensions to better suit the player's wants or needs.
FWIW, his background, if I remember correctly, was in engineering. (Someone else may correct me if that's wrong). He was not a particularly accomplished clarinetist - I'm not even certain that he played the clarinet beyond the rudimentary skills he needed to play-test the mouthpieces he worked with. Often the owner of the mouthpiece was sitting right next to him and did all the testing. "Matt" just listened and acted on the player's reaction to how the mouthpiece played.
His skill and reputation were, as far as I was aware as a young player (I last saw him in the 1970s), unique for the time. I hope you can find a copy of deKant's article. Maybe the ICA has archived it. It should have been a fascinating interview.
Karl
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Author: Ed
Date: 2015-05-10 05:20
I would strongly disagree with the assertion that Matson did not make mouthpieces. His work went far beyond a simple refacing. As he once said to me "anybody can learn to put a facing on a mouthpiece". His genius was in his ability to completely understand every dimension and how every subtle adjustment would affect the overall playability of a mouthpiece. He would ream the bore, reshape the chamber, baffle, side walls, tip, etc, all by hand and with the care that only a master craftsman can give. There were times that he would spend hours completely reworking the interior of a mouthpiece to transform it. In all honesty, his work and knowledge surpasses many who call themselves mouthpiece makers.
At the same time, he never had a mouthpiece produced with his name on it and did not mark his work, he was one of the most influential craftsmen of the highest level. Many mouthpieces produced today are influenced by his concepts. Many sought him out for his expertise, from players like Harold Wright, Stanley Drucker, Eddie Daniels and countless other top artists to students and casual musicians. He desired to help every player who contacted him. He was humble and giving, sharing his knowledge with anyone who asked. There were no "trade secrets". The genius was in his ability to know exactly what was needed to make a mouthpiece work.
While he would listen and observe to find what the player desired, he also had an uncanny feel and ability to play the mouthpiece and immediately hone in on what was needed.
I may have a copy of that article. I'll look for it. You might also contact some who worked with him and new him well, such as Chris Hill, Tim Wright and clarinetist Tom Hill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hill_(clarinetist)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-10 06:55
Ed wrote:
> His work went far beyond a simple
> refacing. His genius was in his ability to
> completely understand every dimension and how every subtle
> adjustment would affect the overall playability of a
> mouthpiece. He would ream the bore, reshape the chamber,
> baffle, side walls, tip, etc, all by hand and with the care
> that only a master craftsman can give.
>
> At the same time, he never had a mouthpiece produced with his
> name on it and did not mark his work,
You're absolutely right, of course. I only meant it in the sense of the last line I quoted above. He worked on mouthpieces made by others. In many cases his work, when he was finished, had created something completely different from the mouthpiece he started with.
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-05-10 07:50
I went to Everett Matson's house about 25 years ago for work on miscellaneous mouthpieces. He fixed up a new (but misshapen) Selmer C* bass mouthpiece to the "Ronnie Reuben" (Philadelphia Orchestra) specs. He trued the lay on a well-worn Chicago Kaspar and reduced the tip from 15 to 14. He showed me several of his own mouthpieces, but said I would probably be out of sympathy with them. He was right.
I had a couple of Stowell-Wells-Schneider pieces that I had ruined trying to reface them myself. He put "a facing" on each of them, but he said he found Frank Wells's style so far from what he preferred that he didn't want to do additional work.
He talked about Ralph Lindemann in Chicago and showed me several of the mouthpieces he played (Oehler in brilliant colors).
A fascinating afternoon. His charge was a Selmer Eb mouthpiece I had hanging around.
Ken Shaw
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Author: alvi
Date: 2015-05-10 09:41
Thank you for great answers! For me Mattson was a guy how teach a most of crafstman and mouthpiece makers, so his very important person in Mouthpiece world in XX century! Ed I will be waiting of info about copy!
Many thanks for all of you!
Greetings!
WS
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2015-05-11 07:40
While a student at Yale, I went to Everett's house in NJ several times to have him work on mpcs, both soprano and bass.
When he worked on my vintage Kaspar and Chedeville mpcs, he poured the mpc dust into a jar for Ronnie Reuben. He always shook his head when he did so, as though he didn't believe that vintage-rubber scrapings were the magic pixie-dust some believe it to be.
I would spend all day at Everett's house, yet he was embarrassed to accept any remuneration for his work. I learned that he liked single-malt scotch so I came to pay him with a bit of cash and a bottle of scotch.
Once, in the presence of his wife, I recounted to Everett that my instruments had been stolen from my locker at Yale, including a Kaspar mpc. His wife took pity on me and sold me her Kaspar mpc for $50, saying she only ever played it in church. Everett gently tried to dissuade her from selling it to me, but it was a done-deal, as she and I had already bonded over the fact that we both had a hernia (mine in my throat from playing on too-hard a setup, hers in her stomach).
Simon
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Author: classicalguss
Date: 2015-05-12 18:34
Since "Matt" was a friend of mine for many years, one little correction here. He was a wonderful clarinet player, having studied with Lindemann in Chicago and Bonade at Juilliard. He played 1st clarinet with the NJ State Orchestra (now gone), and played Mozart Concerto quite beautifully. I was lucky to share the 1st clarinet stand at the Asbury Park Municipal Band for many summers. I also had the pleasure of playing clarinet trios with him and Leon Knize toward the end of his life.
I believe that some of the "equipment" that he used is at a college museum in New Jersey, (Stockton? don't know).
David----saying he was a nice guy is a gross understatement!
Best Wishes,
Roy
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-12 23:04
classicalguss wrote:
> I believe that some of the "equipment" that he used is at a
> college museum in New Jersey, (Stockton? don't know).
Rider University.
Thanks for the correction about his clarinet background. I never heard him play in several sessions with him.
Karl
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Author: Jerry Rife
Date: 2019-03-03 03:09
I studied "refacing" with Matt in the summer of 2009 and filmed and interviewed him on his tools, technique and what he was looking for in a mouthpiece. When he died in 2011 (just a few days before 9/11) his daughters asked me to create a Everett R. Matson Center for Single Reed Mouthpiece Refacing at Rider University where I was teaching and was the Chair of the Fine Arts Department.
I am anxious to write an article for The Clarinet and perhaps give a presentation on Matt at a future ClarinetFest. I have his book, which lists everyone who came to him for mcp help. As you can imagine, it is contains a great deal of information on each players mouthpiece and the exact facing he put on each. The center contains his tools, and equipment, the desk and chairs he used and this record of visits and facings he did. He was a remarkable craftsman and a great gentleman who would give you his time for free. I had to leave money on the kitchen table when I left after the Scotch tastings, of course.
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Author: rkessel
Date: 2019-03-04 21:05
I recall going to Mr. Matsen’s house by the Jersey shore back in the 80’s or early 90’s. The first thing he did was hand me a Henri Chedeville mouthpiece and said something to the effect of let’s get this out of the way before we move forward with refinishing your mouthpieces. He suggested that it was a good mouthpiece but that others could be made to be just as good (or something to that effect). He had a nice table that he worked on and put some Eddie Daniels music on his stereo. He was very kind and generous and tried to put people at ease. I worked in the music publishing field at the time and asked him if he ever considered making a brand of mouthpiece with his name on it. He didn’t really want to undertake that kind of work. I also asked why he didn’t put his initials on the mouthpiece he worked on and he said it was because somebody in the industry gave him a hArd time about it(I have an idea of who that was but couldn’t say for sure).
He charged way too little for his work. I think it was something like $20 for one mouthpiece. He was a genius in terms of his work. I still play the vandoren that he refinished for me.
I also subbed for him once in an orchestra on in Asbury Park and other people in the orchestra mentioned his beautiful sound and playing. Great guy and I’m glad to hear he will be honored in writing. Happy to answer any additional questions.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2019-03-05 17:39
I went to Matson way back in the late 60s to have him open my Selmer bass C* to play like my C**. After measuring them he "closed" the C* instead, he said the C* was actually more opened then the C**. I used that for the next 35-40 years. We spent about three hours talking and adjusting several other MPs I had, asked me to stay for dinner and ordered a pizza and charged me $10, I gave him $25. Remember, the late 60s. He enjoyed his "hobby" so much. I believe his full time job was an engineer or something in "that" type of field. What a master of his art.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2019-03-06 18:53
Tell us more about “Everett R. Matson Center for Single Reed Mouthpiece Refacing at Rider University”. Is this a place the public can visit?
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Bill
Date: 2019-03-06 19:42
Terry Guidetti has stories of visiting and working with him.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
Post Edited (2019-03-07 22:35)
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Author: Bill
Date: 2019-03-07 22:34
Yes!
teguidetti@comcast.net
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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