Sept. 10, 2019: "Artistry Tuesday" featuring Mathew Joseph!

"Artistry Tuesday"

Featuring Mathew Joseph

September 10, 2019

by Randal L Meek

"www.randalsview.blog"

Mathew Joseph is a rare, quiet, virtual tsunami in both talent and power. A humble and gracious man whose talent and accomplishments could have easily created a boastful and insufferable ego, instead there developed this gentle, peaceful man with talent as expansive as the world his music tries to fuse.

Growing up in a small town in western India in a family of rare mother & father medical doctors, Mathew was destined for a career in medicine. With a love affair for music and the guitar that began with an old warped-neck arch-top he acquired from an uncle at the age of ten, Mathew's formal musical training was limited to a few guitar lessons that his father drove him to many miles from home. With that genesis, like so many other creative talents, Mathew was off and running on his own; however, at the insistence of his family, a career in music was not to be and Mathew achieved a medical degree and a 20 some year career in medicine. 

Despite reaching the pinnacle of the professional world through medicine, the musical itch never subsided and Mathew used every spare moment to scratch that itch. Always inclined to acts of kindness, early in his professional medical career quest Mathew took in an itinerant traveler with a guitar who mesmerized Mathew with his guitar playing. The traveler played "Lagrima" by Francisco Tarrega, and Mathew had to learn it. Over the course of several weeks the traveler patiently played each section over and over so that Mathew could memorize it note for note. Decades and two careers later Mathew's recent recorded version of "Lagrima" is one of his most popular pieces, and Mathew's rendition of "Lagrima" is a gem of originality! A well-known, often-played Spanish classical piece that is not terribly difficult to play, it is nearly impossible to make a new rendition stand out from the crowd because of its popularity. Mathew managed to make his rendition stand out like a beacon. Using his signature sound of a piezo pickup steel string guitar Mathew's rendition is new, fresh, unusual and appealing to guitarists who may not find themselves attracted to the traditional classical sound. 

My first exposure to Mathew's music was his "Tribute to Andrew York". While trying to learn some of the works of the master Andrew York, like so many of us have attempted, Mathew found himself "challenged" but rather than just moving on, Mathew played around and experimented within the tuning and created this masterpiece! And a masterpiece it is managing to capture the feel and brilliance of Andrew York in a way few ever could. All of us play and write music in an attempt to tap into the sublime musical essence of the universe, but we rarely if ever succeed. "Tribute to Andrew York" is a bold title, particularly for a relatively unknown artist, but it indeed succeeds in tapping into this sublime essence and could be titled nothing else! 

With just these two pieces a musical career would be complete and full, but Mathew's music just begins there. With a catalog of approximately 50 unique works Mathew's quest for "world fusion" music is quickly developing and expanding resulting in 13 new works in 2019 alone. From "Caleb's Dance" to "Sunset Wine" and "Farewell", Mathew is able to capture the emotions and imagery of a ten year old boy's dance on the beach, to an intimate sunset moment with a loved one, to a moving farewell tribute to an old friend. Mathew's talent also extends into vocals recorded  in four different languages! Check out his tremendous "protest song" "Did You Hear The Rumble" addressing everything from gun violence to political corruption. And as a final treat, where many of us stick with 4/4 or 3/4 time for the most part, Mathew is a master at unusual time signatures with such unusual pieces as "Ailasa" in 13/8 time  and "Aayiram" that shifts between 13/8 & 4/4 time!  

This is a man with a vision and the talent to move both the world and the world of music forward into something better. Give Mathew's unique vision a look and a listen: you will come away refreshed, enlightened, entertained and more at peace with the world with a hope and a confidence that it can indeed be a better place!

By Randal L Meek

You can find Mathew Joseph’s music here: 

On Spotify: Mathew Joseph

On Apple Music: Mathew Joseph