Matuto was formed when jazz guitarist Clay Ross and accordionist Rob Curto met and began collaborating in Brooklyn. Their lyrical songwriting is reminiscent of Paul Simon’s, and their arrangements weave together Afro-Brazilian, Cajun-Zydeco, bluegrass, and forró elements with foot-stomping fiddle, accordion, and hard-driving beats. Drawing on numerous American and Brazilian folk forms, the group offers a cross-cultural, genre-defying musical amalgamation in The Devil & the Diamond (Motema Music). The result, as heard in such songs as “The Devil’s Hand” and “Drag Me Down,” is something unique and unbridled. Matuto’s sound carves a path that crosses imaginary boundaries of genre and nationality, effortlessly flowing in undeniably catchy new directions with skill and grace.