Jim Matus, composer, guitarist, and laoutar player, specializing in 
​progressive world fusion, jazz, rock and improvisatory music. 

Picture
photo by Tracey Eller
  • Matus’ use of the electric laoutar, a lute and mandocello hybrid, is positively entrancing on Pastures of the Future.  A vaguely Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean/ North African-sounding instrument, it conveys the mesmerizing, drone-like quality of Greek, Celtic, Indian and Gnawan music while Matus’ compositions remain firmly rooted in Western harmony and melodicism. And bassist Jerome Harris (a veteran who has recorded with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Bill Frisell, Don Byron and Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band) acts as a perfectly reactive low-end foil for Matus on his evocative tunes. Exotic, dreamy music to get lost in. 
— Bill Milkowski, contributor to DownBeat and author of “Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker”
 REVIEWS:
  • "These tunes kick world music butt. " (Jon Davis/Expose/lead singer of KORN)
  • "One of the strongest hard rock rhythm sections of the decade, exciting vocal performances, and a highly successful synthesis of traditions into a rock idiom make ISHQ a must-have for any music fan with an ear open for the third world and concerns about globalization. Strongly recommended".  (All Music)
  • "An absolute masterpiece and an essential album for anyone interested in general humanistic questions". (Prog Archives)
  • "An adventurous and visionary sound that's easy to savor - another solid recommendation. " (Expose)
  • "Anarchist theory. Ancient spiritual values. Studio wizardry. Like some kind of techno-shaman, Matus has put together an urban tribe of professional musicians..." (Boston Phoenix)
  • " I beg of you, do yourself a favor and check out Paranoise. This is one of those rare chances that one is given to witness the way an entirely new style of music evolves." (Progressiveworld.net)
  • "Jim Matus has taken the style that Peter Gabriel made famous, fusing rock and world fusion, and taken it a step further. ​                  (Sea of Tranquility)​
below, Jim Matus and cellist Stephen Katz performing Jim's composition, "Creeping Back to Earth."
  • The pieces on Pastures of the Future are like miniature dream epics. While one can’t really compare what’s here precisely to anything else out there, one may find similarities with Steve Tibbett’s fourth album Safe Journey. It’s a brilliant set of instrumentals full of mystery and invention.   -Expose-