Mateo Monk is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, adept at many styles of world roots music. With twenty years of performing experience, his live shows are an exciting musical journey around the globe, exploring the rhythms of jazz, bossa nova, reggae, hindustani raga, bluegrass, soul and funk. Performing solo on the guitar, flute, melodica, and vocals, Mateo utilizes a "looper" pedal to create fully textured rhythms, adorned with virtuosic melodic musings, all seamlessly woven into the song form in real time. It's a modern spin on the iconic idea of the "one man band", executed by a one-of-a-kind artist with deep emotional sensibility and dazzling instrumental finesse.
Mateo on his own music:
"The following videos are of my live solo performances in which I utilize a "looper" pedal to seamlessly create multi-layered rhythms on the fly. I use no pre-recorded tracks or samples; Every sound you hear is created live before your eyes.
"Improvisation is a large part of what I do. All music is jazz to me, in that regardless of the rhythm, genre, or style, it is a vehicle for instrumental exploration and spontaneous creativity. I never play a song the same way twice; every rendition is inspired and informed by the energy of the night, the ambience of the occasion.
"There's a real variety of music here, and sometimes people make the mistake of just checking out one song and saying, "Oh, he's a bluegrass guy", or "Oh, he's a reggae guy." So please be sure to scroll down and try a few different flavors. I'm an everything guy. Music is limitless. Lastly, in each song I generally build at least one loop and do some instrumental improvisation over it, so if you see me just strumming and singing and you say to yourself, "Is this all he does?!", no, it's not all I do, keep watching :) In my mind, the loops and the solos are the real heart of my music. More videos can be viewed at my youtube channel."