Dmitri Matheny

Celebrated for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, American musician Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as “one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation” (International Review of Music).

First introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer, Matheny has matured into “one of the jazz world's most talented horn players” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Born on Christmas Day, 1965 in Nashville,Tennessee, Dmitri was raised in Georgia and Arizona. Attracted to his father’s collection of jazz and classical LP records, Dmitri began piano lessons at age 5, switched to the trumpet at age 9, and took up the flugelhorn at 18.

Matheny attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, then the Berklee College of Music, Boston, graduating magna cum laude in 1989.

After private studies with Carmine Caruso in New York City, Matheny became the protégé of the legendary Art Farmer, a formative relationship that lasted over a decade.

Farmer, “the bebop master who defined the sound of the flugelhorn in modern jazz” (All Music Guide), was Matheny’s public champion and private mentor. Generously sharing his wisdom, experience and influence, it was Farmer who encouraged Dmitri to devote himself exclusively to the “Big Horn.”

Under Farmer’s tutelage Matheny emerged as a promising new voice in jazz.“Art Farmer’s role in the early success of Dmitri Matheny cannot be overstated,” observed writer and historian Phil Elwood. “Without Art, there could be no Dmitri.”

At 29, after launching a busy recording career on the West Coast, Matheny made his New York debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, then began touring internationally.

The soulful sound of Dmitri's horn garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, drawing frequent comparisons to Miles Davis, Chet Baker and—not surprisingly—to Art Farmer. Upon Farmer’s passing in 1999, Matheny acquired his mentor’s copper-bell flugelhorn.

Today, Dmitri leads the Dmitri Matheny Group, “an all-star jazz band featuring some of the most accomplished musicians in the western United States” (All About Jazz).

Matheny has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He has traveled to 21 countries and has performed with many Motown and popular music acts including the Temptations, Martha Reeves, Fabian, the Four Tops, Bobby Vinton, Sandy Patty, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and the O'Jays.

Matheny has had the privilege of appearing in concert with such jazz luminaries as Larry Coryell, Nathan Davis, Amina Figarova, Tommy Flanagan, Wycliffe Gordon, Darrell Grant, Larry Grenadier, John Handy, Tom Harrell, Billy Higgins, Red Holloway, Denise Jannah, Joe Lovano, James Moody, Jean Louis Rassinfosse, Tony Reedus, Sam Rivers, Max Roach, the Rosenberg Trio, Bud Shank, Sonny Simmons, Mary Stallings, Akira Tana, Billy Taylor, Bobby Watson and Paula West.

Matheny’s discography lists over 120 albums on which he appears as a composer, arranger, producer, annotator or flugelhorn soloist. He has released eleven critically-acclaimed albums as a leader: Red Reflections (1995), Penumbra (1996), Starlight Café (1998), Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag (2000), Nocturne (2005), The SnowCat (2006), Spiritu Sancto (2007), Best of Dmitri Matheny (2008), Grant & Matheny (2010), Sagebrush Rebellion (2014) and Jazz Noir (2016). His latest album Cascadia (Origin Records) is now in production for a June 2022 release.

Dmitri Matheny has received several prestigious music awards, including “NW Instrumentalist of the Year” in the 2016 Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards and “Best New Artist” (with Brad Mehldau, Stefon Harris and Ravi Coltrane) in the 1999 JazzTimes Readers Poll.

Dmitri Matheny is also a prolific composer and lyricist whose published compositions span the jazz, pop, symphonic, choral, chamber and world music genres. He has received premieres and commissions from Meet the Composer, St. Domenic’s Church, the Manhattan New Music Project, the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Jazz Composers Orchestra and 20th Century Forum.

Matheny’s film scoring and soundtrack credits include the PBS documentary Mary, Paradox & Grace (1996), the short film Greenhorn Creek (1997), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art production Voices & Images of California Art (1997), and the RKO Pictures feature film Shade (2003) starring Gabriel Byrne, Jamie Foxx, Melanie Griffith,Thandie Newton, Sylvester Stallone and Stewart Townsend. Matheny also contributed original music for the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2006) and the supernatural thriller Fire City (2014).

Matheny's most ambitious composition to date is Spiritu Sancto, the New Millennium Mass, a monumental sacred work scored for chorus, organ, percussion, brass quintet, jazz ensemble and gospel soloist, Spiritu Sancto received its world premiere on the dawn of the new millennium at St. Domenic's Cathedral in San Francisco.

Throughout his professional career as a concert and recording artist, Dmitri Matheny has distinguished himself as a dedicated educator, community leader and advocate for jazz and the arts.

Matheny presents clinics, lectures, master classes and workshops at leading universities and conservatories, and is gratified to have staged more than 500 free, curriculum-based concerts for kids, introducing over 50,000 school children to jazz.

Matheny has held teaching faculty and management positions with the Boston Center for the Arts, California Jazz Conservatory, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Chabot Space and Science Center, Monarch Records and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He has served as Director of Education, Director of Development and Director of Corporate Sponsorships for SFJAZZ, the largest nonprofit jazz presenter on the west coast, as Assistant Education Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Colony at Jazz Aspen Snowmass, and as Artist-In-Residence at several universities and conservatories.

Matheny is past president of the Berklee College of Music Alumni Association, a former governor of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and a former trustee of the San Francisco Jazz Organization. His volunteer service to the field includes frequent participation in music industry conferences, symposia and grant-making initiatives. Past and current affiliations include the International Association for Jazz Education, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Western Arts Alliance, California Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America and National Jazz Service Organization.

Awards

NW JAZZ INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR Seattle Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards 2016 OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO JAZZ EDUCATION International Association for Jazz Education 2000 MODEL TOURING ARTIST California Arts Council 2000 BAY AREA BEST San Francisco Examiner Magazine 1995-2000 BEST NEW ARTISTS Brad Mehldau, Dmitri Matheny, Stefon Harris, Ravi Coltrane JazzTimes International Readers Poll 1999 TOP 10 JAZZ RECORDINGS OF THE YEAR Oakland Tribune 1998 BLUE CHIP JAZZ CD AWARDS Jazz Educators Journal 1998 BEST JAZZ RECORDING OF THE YEAR San Francisco Bay Guardian 1996 THE YEAR'S BEST RECORDINGS Jazz Educators Journal 1996 10 BEST JAZZ RECORDINGS OF THE YEAR JazzIz Magazine Critics Picks 1995

Gear

Dmitri plays a very special flugelhorn that originally belonged to his mentor, the late jazz master Art Farmer. "Trumpet players sometimes double on flugelhorn, the way saxophone players double on flute or clarinet," Dmitri explains. "But I was inspired by Art Farmer to dedicate myself entirely to the flugelhorn. Art proved that focused attention can yield extraordinary fluency." Designed by Zigmant Kanstul, the flugelhorn is one of three horns favored by Farmer in his performances and recordings of the 1970s and '80s. Matheny acquired the instrument after a duet performance of "Warm Valley" with Dr. Billy Taylor at Farmer's memorial service, November 7, 1999 at St. Peter's Church in New York City. The horn weighs 2.5 lbs. Its bell, crafted in heavy wall copper-plated brass, is 6.5 inches in diameter. The leadpipe is 0.421 "large bore" as manufactured by French Besson for Boosey & Hawkes, based on a classic 1890 Paris Exposition design. Its valves are top sprung monel pistons with metal interior casings and a lacquered brass exterior, as manufactured by English Besson based on a design by Couesnon & Company. Farmer made a number of modifications to his Kanstul flugelhorn such as adding tuning triggers to the first and third valve slides and making custom valve caps inlaid with 1916-D Mercury dimes, an idea borrowed from symphonic French horn players of the era. Although weathered with age and oxidation, the name of the instrument's original owner is still visible, engraved on the flugelhorn's copper bell. To expand the flugelhorn's timbral palette with additional tones and colors, Matheny uses a Jo-Ral tenor trombone bubble mute designed by Joe Alessi and an assortment of hats, bottles, mutes and plungers.

Show less

Dmitri Matheny: Cascadia

by Jack Bowers
July 11, 2022

Cascadia encompasses an hour of amiable, even-tempered jazz from trumpeter Dmitri Matheny who, like several of his predecessors—Chet Baker, Chuck Mangione, Guido Basso and his mentor, Art Farmer, among them—focuses exclusively on flugelhorn. Matheny uses his gorgeous tone and remarkable lyricism to paint exquisite portraits in sound throughout a program whose ten engaging numbers enfold half a dozen of his original compositions. Matheny shares the front line with saxophonist Charles McNeal whose solos (on soprano or tenor ...

Album Review

Dmitri Matheny: Cascadia

Read "Cascadia" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
June 7, 2022

Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny and his quintet play perfectly on Cascadia. There is no surprise there—with a rhythm section of pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Phil Sparks and drummer Mark Ivester backing the front line of Matheny and saxophonist Charles McNeil— perfection is the expectation. Matheny grew up in Georgia and Arizona, spent a formative and near-obligatory stint in New York City, and played for a time in the band of pianist Amina Figarova—another jazz artist who knows something about ...

Catching Up With

Dmitri Matheny: Flugelhorn Evangelist

by David Becker
September 1, 2016

The flugelhorn can be a difficult mistress. Players may find themselves endlessly explaining the differences between their axe and the trumpet, why their instrument seldom sounds like Miles Davis in a bad mood and why most horn players treat it as a specialty tool. But when someone with the authority of bebop legend and flugelhorn champion Art Farmer, tells you stick with something, you tend to listen. Dmitri Matheny, one of Farmer's last private students and his most ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Dmitri Matheny

by Dmitri Matheny
January 7, 2013

Meet Dmitri Matheny: Celebrated for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as “the first breakthrough flugelhornist since Chuck Mangione" (San Jose Mercury News). An honors graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Berklee College of Music, Matheny was first introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer, and has since matured into “one of the jazz world's most talented horn players" (SF Chronicle). Matheny tours internationally, performing material from ...

145

Album Review

Dmitri Matheny: Statlight Cafe

Read "Statlight Cafe" reviewed by Jim Santella

by Jim Santella
November 1, 1998

Recorded live at La Note Café and Restaurant Provencal in Berkeley, California earlier this year, Dmitri Matheny’s third album offers ballad material suitable for framing and displaying in the living room where you’ll be able to revisit it every day when you come home from a hard day’s work. The trio’s members form a cohesive seamless unit made up of equal parts soulful expression, caressing phrases, imaginative asides, and dedicated lyricism. Matheny, who will turn 33 on Christmas Day, was ...

102

Album Review

Dmitri Matheny: Starlight Cafe

Read "Starlight Cafe" reviewed by Joel Roberts

by Joel Roberts
November 1, 1998

Already tabbed a “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" in the 1998 Down Beat Critics' Poll, flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny seems on the verge of establishing himself as a major new jazz star. His third release on San Francisco's Monarch label may just put him over the top.

Conceived as a “collection of nocturnes," Starlight Cafe is a quiet, hauntingly beautiful album of ballads and standards (including “Stardust," “Corcovado," “When You Wish Upon a Star," and Benny Carter's “When Lights Are Low") plus ...

142

Album Review

Dmitri Matheny: Penumbra (The Moon Sessions)

Read "Penumbra (The Moon Sessions)" reviewed by Jim Santella

by Jim Santella
July 1, 1997

Dmitri Matheny and Dave Ellis are tight. Their flugelhorn and tenor saxophone complement each other well, providing harmony, added color, and tonal variety. With a theme album that refers to the majestic beauty of the moon's presence in the sky that we all experience -- a common bond around the world -- the leader offers a set of beautiful and interesting pieces. The title track is a slow ballad and a feature for John ...

Recording

Dmitri Matheny Returns With New CD Sagebrush Rebellion

Source: Dmitri Matheny
June 23, 2014

“Dmitri Matheny is a jazz treasure. The lyrical Matheny has impressive chops, but it’s his warmth and soulfulness that win you over.” —All Music Guide On August 9, 2014, jazz musician Dmitri Matheny will release Sagebrush Rebellion, a bold and breezy new album that showcases the ﬂugelhornist at his melodic, lyrical best. Together with the formidable west coast rhythm team of pianist Nick Manson, bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Duncan Moore, Matheny’s latest release delivers a lively mix of fresh ...
read more

146

Performance / Tour

Dmitri Matheny Home Season Tonight!

Source: All About Jazz
March 31, 2004

Join us tonight for the DMITRI MATHENY HOME SEASON March 31 through April 2, 2004

Wednesday, March 31st 6:30 pm Sold Out! & 8:30 pm

San Francisco Performances presents

GRANT & MATHENY Darrell Grant, piano Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn

Salons at the Rex Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter Street, SF $15 GA 415-398-6449 http://www.performances.org

Recommended Parking: Sutter-Stockton Garage, 410 Stockton at Sutter ...
read more

"Radiant" —DownBeat

"Glowing" —JazzTimes

"Unquestionably a master." —JazzIz

"A loving concern for fine detail." —Los Angeles Times

"Understated, masterful technique and evident joy." —JazzNews

"A flugelhorn so cool it'll run a shiver through your martini." —MetroActive

"The first breakthrough flugelhornist since Chuck Mangione." —San Jose Mercury News

"A brass player who can limn slow-motion ballads without referencing Miles." —Gary Giddins, Village Voice

"Extravagantly, unashamedly, irresistibly pretty. A spirit voice that compels attention even when it whispers." —Thomas Conrad, Stereophile

Primary Instrument

Flugelhorn

Location

Seattle

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Dmitri Matheny is a devoted advocate for the arts and a tireless, inspiring educator. Teaching the joys of jazz—whether to aspiring artists, audiences, adults or children—is a major focus for Dmitri both at home and on the road. RESIDENCIES — Dmitri is known for having a unique ability to bring out the very best in aspiring young musicians. He accepts extended residencies and teaching positions on an availability basis. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT — Dmitri is the creator of Discover Jazz, an innovative jazz appreciation course for adults in association with the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Presented at San Francisco's Jewish Community Center, Discover Jazz explores the music's colorful mythology, key figures, recordings, forms, and ideas. CLASSROOM TEACHING — Dmitri has taught youth and adult classes in jazz history and appreciation, music theory, jazz harmony, film scoring, composition, arranging, orchestration, the music business, contract negotiation, recording, publicity, marketing, e-commerce and fundraising. FACULTY POSITIONS — Matheny's past appointments include Director of Education and Director of Development for SFJAZZ (the largest nonprofit jazz presenter on the West Coast), Assistant Education Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Colony, Artist-In-Residence for the Siskiyou Institute of Ashland, Oregon and the Young Musicians Program of UC Berkeley, and faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Jazzschool of Berkeley, California. PRIVATE LESSONS — Dmitri offers private lessons via Skype to professional musicians and serious students worldwide. Lessons focus on the fundamentals of brass technique, melodic interpretation and jazz improvisation. YOUTH CONCERTS — The Dmitri Matheny Group and Grant & Matheny duo work with arts organizations and concert presenters to provide children in underserved communities with the experience of hearing jazz live-in-concert. Each program is tailored to the unique needs and experience level of the children, with the goal of informing, enlightening and inspiring all involved. SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES — As teaching artists of the San Francisco Symphony Adventures in Music program, the Dmitri Matheny Group has provided over 500 free, curriculum-based concerts in schools, serving more than 50,000 children. JAZZ SCHOLARSHIPS — Since 1999, the Art Farmer Jazz Scholarship Fund (created by Dmitri Matheny in honor of his mentor) has provided merit-based financial assistance awards to promising young students of jazz. FAMILY CONCERTS — Dmitri's original family show The SnowCat teaches literacy and a love of the arts with an entertaining theatrical production that combines storytelling, singing, visual art and live music. SALON CONCERTS — In-home performances, a trademark of the Grant & Matheny duo, offer an intimate look at the artists' creative process. SYMPOSIA — Dmitri is frequently invited to participate in panel discussions and symposia held at music festivals and industry conferences. SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS — Matheny has served as a moderator, speaker, presenter, site visitor and peer review panelist for the California Arts Council, Chamber Music America, National Endowment for the Arts and International Association of Jazz Educators. INFORMANCES — Throughout the year, Dmitri offers clinics, lecture/demonstrations and "informances" for professional musicians and serious students of jazz. These are customized educational performances with commentary, in which Dmitri and his fellow musicians share their ideas and personal insights into the nuances of jazz performance. MASTERCLASSES — Masterclasses provide an opportunity for student ensembles to perform excerpts from their repertoire, then receive constructive critique and evaluation. Prior to each Master Class, Dmitri meets with the ensemble director or teacher to discuss particular concepts to be discussed and reinforced. Upon the student group's completion of each performed selection, Dmitri and his musicians offer thoughtful commentary, encouraging praise and suggestions for how to strengthen the next performance. CLINICS — As a clinician, Dmitri works with student musicians to convey key musical concepts and techniques, such as dynamics, articulation, melodic interpretation, phrasing, time-keeping, chord voicing and improvisation. Intensive clinics provide students with specialized training in a particular style or technique of performance, and may take the form of guided sectional rehearsals (for the rhythm section, brass, and/or woodwinds), or an individual coaching session focused on soloists and other key personnel. WORKSHOPS — In association with his seasonal tours, Dmitri offers three workshops for special audiences: Melodic Mastery, a jazz improvisation workshop for aspiring musicians based on the teachings of Art Farmer; Bandleader Bootcamp, advanced training in the skills and techniques required to direct a world class jazz ensemble; and Music in the Digital Age, a business tool kit for professional musicians. CONSULTING — Matheny provides confidential career assessment and guidance to fellow musicians and independent consulting services to leading arts organizations. As a consultant with the National Jazz Service Organization (NJSO), Matheny has advised dozens of professional musicians and has counseled a diverse roster of corporate, nonprofit and government clients on strategic planning, curriculum development and fundraising. Past and current clients include American Airlines, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead, The Kennedy Center, Hawaii International Jazz Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, the Jazzschool, Oakland Jazz Choir, Rhythmic Concepts, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Stanford Jazz Workshop, Telegraph Avenue Neighborhood Association of Berkeley, University of California Jazz Ensembles and the Young Musicians Program of UC Berkeley. LEADERSHIP — Matheny's contributions to the field include volunteer service on various governing boards. A past president of the Berklee College of Music California Alumni Association, Dmitri has served on the San Francisco Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the Board of Trustees of SFJAZZ, the San Francisco Jazz Organization, and the Board of Directors of Jazz in Arizona.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Primary Instrument

Flugelhorn

Location

Seattle

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Clinic/Workshop Information

Dmitri Matheny partners with community organizations to present MELODIC MASTERY, a series of jazz improvisation workshops for aspiring musicians of all ages. Based on the teachings of his mentor, jazz legend Art Farmer, Matheny advocates a lyrical, melodic approach to jazz which stands in stark contrast to the chord scale and pattern-based methods currently in vogue. "Your solo is an opportunity to express something entirely new and profoundly personal," Matheny says. "Create your own melody. Tell your own story. Sing your own song! This is no time for plugging in recycled, memorized material." In this one-hour workshop, presented in three parts, Matheny explores the mental processes that take place while playing a jazz solo and the skills required for true improvisation. With an emphasis on deep listening and jazz-as-conversation, part one of the workshop outlines the elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm and form) from the soloist's perspective, and why the melody should be your guide when improvising. In part two, Matheny explains how to spontaneously create your own melodies and develop them in real time through a series of simple or complex harmonic changes. He provides recorded examples, demonstrates specific techniques on his horn, and shares relevant anecdotes from his professional career and years of tutelage under jazz legend Art Farmer. In part three, Matheny discusses the importance of developing your own personal sound and style of playing, and offers some practical advice to keep in mind on your journey. Celebrated for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, American musician Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as "the first breakthrough flugelhornist since Chuck Mangione" (San Jose Mercury News). Matheny is an honors graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and the Berklee College of Music, Boston. First introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer, Matheny has matured into "one of the jazz world's most talented horn players" (SF Chronicle), touring internationally, performing with many of the leading names in jazz, and releasing nine critically acclaimed CDs.

Show less