ARNALDO ANAYA-LUCCA Photographs MATTHEW AVEDON for Departures Magazine

Matthew with his custom made jazz guitar in a Dolce + Gabbana evening jacket, skinny black jeans and a cool jazz vibe. Photograph © Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca

Arnaldo writes on Instagram: "Matthew Avedon in Rock-Star Mode In My FAV look From Our Feature in The March/April issue of Departures Magazine. Clad in Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Styled by @lejosef, Hair by @merritthair, Make up by @makeupbymarco, Lighting by @normme + @visajes_ " Photograph © Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca

Photograph © Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca

An out-take of Musician + Model-Icon Matthew Avedon, Clad in Burberry for the March/April issue of Departures Magazine, Styled by @lejosef; Hair by @merritthair; Make up by @makeupbymarco; Lighting by @normme + @visajes_ Photograph © Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca

Matthew Avedon was photographed by the awesomely fabulous fashion photographer Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca, who first "discovered" Matt 17 years ago as a teenage skateboarder. This shoot was styled by lauren.e.m.joseph for the March/April issue of Departures Magazine. Shot mostly on location at the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca where Avedon plays an eclectic mix of gypsy jazz and other sounds on most Sunday afternoons; you can also catch him with his group, Kings County Swing, Monday nights at St. Mazie (345 Grand, Williamsburg); Tuesday nights at Brooklyn’s Cafe Moto (395 B’Way, Brklyn); Friday nights at Diviera Drive (131 Berry St, Brklyn); and other night spots in-between. Follow Kings County Swing on Facebook for some updates where they are playing.  

 An Interview With Matthew Avedon 

Follow everyone on Instagram: @arnaldoanaya @matthewavedon @dnamodels @departuresmag @elizabethavedon @lejosef @theroxyhotelnyc @cafemotobrooklyn @normme  @visajes_ @makeupbymarco @merritthair and check out Matthew at DNAmodels

MATTHEW AVEDON TRIO: Gypsy Jazz At The Club Room at The Soho Grand

 MATTHEW AVEDON TRIO - FRIDAYS AT THE SOHO GRAND
with Matthew Avedon, Jordan Hyde and Jay Sanford
The Club Room at The Soho Grand 7 - 10

"It is with great pleasure that we are able to introduce The Matthew Avedon Trio into our weekly program at The Club Room at The Soho Grand. The Trio have proven their ability to bring a uniquely beautiful sound to wherever they play, but we like to think that when they step into The Club Room a little bit of magic happens."

We spoke with Matthew Avedon, guitarist of the trio about his influences, growing up around great music and the current state of jazz in NYC:

GrandLife: Growing up, how big of a role did music play in the Avedon household?

Matthew Avedon: Music was always a big part of my family but in very specific ways. I don’t think my dad ever played anything besides the Beatles my entire childhood, which is why I can’t ever listen to the Beatles anymore! I can sing every lyric to every song but I haven’t listened to any of it for years. My mom was more of a Doors fan and I feel the same way about their music; I love and can’t stand it! However, these are definitely the foundation on which my love for music was built even if I’ve moved away from them.

GL: Clearly, Django Reinhardt is a big influence on your music. How did you discover him?

MA: Django entered my life almost by accident. Every now and then I’ll go and buy a bunch of records from bands or artists that I’ve never listened to or even heard of just to find new music I like. I’ve spent a fortune on crap music but it’s all been worth it for those few records that stuck with me, and in Django’s case changed my life. I had read his name in guitar magazines and decided to check him out, this was before I had ever played any jazz, but the music struck a chord immediately. It’s got all the elements for good music: strong melody, strong rhythm, and virtuosity. It’s just so much fun to listen to and even more fun to play.

GL: How did you develop your style? Would you consider yourself more comfortable as a soloist or in an ensemble?

MA: I’ve definitely used Django and gypsy jazz as a foundation from which I developed my style. I play modern jazz, blues, rockabilly and used to be in some punk and metal bands (!) but my playing at its most basic form comes from what I’ve learned playing Django’s music. I do like to think that I’ve built on it significantly though, I play a way more modern version of gypsy jazz than Django did; it’s 2013, I’m not a strict traditionalist so much as a fan of this music which happens to be 70 years old. My band mates Jay Sanford (upright bass) and Jordan Hyde (guitar) are much the same. We all listen to the old recordings for inspiration and filter them through our own personal styles, that’s why we get along so well and play so well together.

GL: What makes for a perfect gig?

MA: A perfect gig for me is one where everyone in the band is feeling good and really listening to each other. When we’re connecting musically we push each other to play better, this is when I’m happiest. We’ve all played high paying gigs that just sucked because the music was boring or there was no energy or something; a good gig comes from good music and that requires everyone in the band to be on point.

GL: If you could go back to any period of New York jazz, which would it would be and why?

MA: Like most jazz musicians I’d love to be in NYC in the mid 40′s when bebop was really coming together as a new style of music. Even though I don’t really play that music so much the creative energy that formed it was so intense I’d just love to be involved or witness it at least. Now that music is considered completely normal, square and stale even, but at the time it was so revolutionary that it was unheard of, like a musical wild west. So exciting!

GL: What future plans for performing and recording can we expect in the future?

MA: We’ve just finished our first album in classic Django and swing tunes, which should be available for purchase at our gigs soon and plan on recording an album of originals in the gypsy jazz style in a few months. As for gigs we’re going to continue playing the Soho Grand every Friday, it’s been a great gig so far with a beautiful ambiance and fun receptive clientele as well as having great acoustics. We sound great in that room! We play around the city about four nights a week and encourage everyone to visit our website at kingscountyswing.com to keep up to date on our schedule!

aka: King's County Swing

Tuesday Nights: MOTO, 394 Broadway, Brooklyn

Friday Nights: The Club Room at The Soho Grand, NY

GYPSY JAZZ: Cafe Moto

Guitarist's Joel V. Beaver and Matthew Avedon with Jay Sanford on Bass
Don't forget to leave an expression of appreciation $$ in the Fire bucket!

Moto: good food and great music by candle-light

We had a fantastic evening last night lstening to some good ol' Gypsy Jazz at Moto until midnight. Guitarist Matthew Avedon, Jay Sanford on Bass, played in the style of legendary Gypsy Guitarist Django Reinhardt along side Guitarist Joel V. Beaver (of the Lower Eastside Hot Club). Beaver studied with guitar master Stephane Wrembel who scored Bistro Fada the theme to Woody Allen's 2012 Academy Award winning film Midnight in Paris. Remember Wrembel performing live during this year’s Oscar’s telecast? French-born guitarist/composer Stephane Wrembel learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside. Now Brooklyn-based, he is one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music.

I don't have a recording from last night's transcendent performance by Avedon, Beaver and Sanford at Moto, so here are a couple of great YouTube video's of Wrembel playing Bistro Fada from Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

Stephane Wrembel plays "Bistro Fada"
his theme song for Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris
(on the Kojo Nnamdi Show)

Stephane Wrembel's Midnight in Paris Theme "Bistro Fada"
(Painting by Vincent van Gogh)

Matthew Avedon Trio, Tuesday's 9 to midnight Cafe Moto, 394 Broadway (Hooper x Keap), Hewes St (J or M train), Brooklyn. Don't forget to leave an expression of appreciation $$ in the Fire bucket!

MATTHEW AVEDON: Music + Fashion Interview

Matthew Avedon An Interview for Massimo Dutti

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Matthew Avedon / DNA Models, Major Models/Paris
Photographed by Gemma Edo for Massimo Dutti

Matthew Avedon/Vogue Italia Photographed by Dawidh Orlando

Matthew Avedon Film
Directed by Hunter + Gatti for Massimo Dutti Polyrhythms
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Matthew Avedon Film by Hunter + Gatti for Massimo Dutti
-:- YouTube Video Here -:-

A Talk With Matthew Avedon
Massimo Dutti Journal: #169

What are your passions?

While I have many interests, my main passion in life is working as a musician. I am an active member of the New York Jazz community and play gigs as many nights of the week as possible! I have my own group that plays Jazz Manouche in the style of Django Reinhardt and we call ourselves the Hot Club Time Machine, I also play some more modern things with my group the Matthew Avedon Trio, and I also play with an amazing New Orleans Jazz band called Jessy Carolina and The Hot Mess. On top of that I try to collaborate with as many musicians in other styles as I can. The life of a working musician can be very hard, and demands a lot of discipline but it is so creatively fulfilling that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else; except working for Massimo Dutti of course!

Obvious question: What is the weight of the name of the most admired photographer your grandfather?
 
Obviously my last name holds a lot of weight in the fashion industry and there's no getting around that. My grandfather played a very important role in shaping the aesthetics of modern fashion and how it presents itself, and his work as a creative force is undeniable. As a model on the other side of the camera I am understandably always asked about my grandfather, and all I can say is that as a man I didn't know him very well, but as an artist I deeply respect his contribution to photography.

Have you ever thought about taking a camera?
 
I have never seriously thought of taking up photography, it's not where my heart is so I wouldn't want to attempt it just because I have a famous last name. I leave that legacy to my younger brother Michael Avedon (michaelavedon.com) who is extremely talented and getting better every day! 

What about design? 
 
For me design is not something you do separate from everything else. Design is a way of approaching the world, everybody designs the world they live in as best they can. I have however considered working as a designer specifically as a job and it's something I think I would be quite good at, but right now I want to pour all my energy into improving as a musician, so I leave the design world to more capable hands.

New York or Paris?
 
I am a born and bred New Yorker and very proud of it! Paris is great and I love visiting, but New York will always be my home even though it has changed so much since I was a kid. It's the curse of the city that people who grow up here have a really hard time adjusting to living anywhere else and that is very true for me!

 What is your favorite part in the world where do you like to go?
 
I am very lucky that my job takes me all over the world and I get to see so many great places, the problem is I never get to stay for very long! Barcelona has always been a very fun place for me to visit and I have a few friends living there; anyone who has been there knows what a party town it can be. Through work I've spent so many years traveling around Europe and I've actually not had a chance to see that much of America besides California and a few other places, so soon I plan on taking a good long road trip across the country. I'm particularly looking forward to visiting New Orleans where the music scene is really amazing!

MATTHIAS VRIENS-McGRATH: Matthew Avedon in the Maldives

Matthew Avedon, the Maldives. Photograph (c) Matthias Vriens-McGrath

Matthew Avedon, the Maldives. Photograph (c) Matthias Vriens-McGrath

Matthew Avedon, the Maldives. Photograph (c) Matthias Vriens-McGrath

MATTHIAS VRIENS-McGRATH is a NYC/LA based Dutch fashion and fine art photographer. His signature style "uses humorous erotic overtones to inject personality and wit" into his photographs. Matthias has had solo exhibitions in NYC and the Netherlands. In addition to his work as a photographer, he has also been Creative Director of Giorgio Armani and Senior Art Director at the Gucci Group.

Matthias Vriens McGrath

Matthew Avedon: DNA, New York

Matthew Avedon 2013 Update