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Mike Metheny

Trumpet/flugelhorn soloist Mike Metheny is a native of Lee's Summit, Missouri and has degrees from the University of Missouri/Columbia (B.S. in Music Education) and Northeast Missouri State University (Masters in Music Education). His teachers included Keith House and John Alexander.

From 1971 to 1974, he was a trumpeter in the U.S. Army Field Band in Washington D.C., and in 1976 he became a faculty member at Boston's Berklee College of Music, a position he held for six years. At Berklee, Mike taught private trumpet, music theory and jazz improvisation and, while in Boston from 1976 to 1989, led his own Boston- based jazz quartet, appearing in numerous club, concert and festival settings across New England and the U.S.

Mike is a recipient of the "Outstanding Brass Player" award at the annual Boston Music Awards. He has also appeared on numerous jazz recordings as a sideman and has released twelve albums as a leader/producer.

Today, Mike is a freelance performer, educator and music journalist in the Kansas City area and has written liner notes for such notables as jazz vocalist Marilyn Maye (Supersinger: A Tribute to Johnny Carson). He has also contributed to KC Magazine, Jazziz, and The DaCapo Jazz & Blues Lover's Guide to the U.S. and is the former editor of Kansas City's Jazz Ambassador Magazine (JAM), a position he held from 1994 to 2003.

Photo Credit
Dan White

Gear

LeBlanc Noblet flugelhorn (1966)
Bach Strad cornet (1962)
AKAI EVI (1989)

Mike Metheny: KC Potpourri

Read "KC Potpourri" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 29, 2006

Trumpeter Mike Metheny is a homeboy, seldom straying far from his native Kansas City, which explains in part why he isn't as well-known here in the States or overseas as his celebrated brother, guitarist Pat. But make no mistake, Mike is a superb musician in his own right, and as he says, “some of the finest musicians I've ever known live right here in my hometown. Many of them appear on KC Potpourri, Metheny's fond salute to the city of ...

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Album Review

Mike Metheny: KC Potpourri

Read "KC Potpourri" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
December 8, 2003

KC Potpourri (n)--a goodly bunch of fine Kansas City musicians addressing themselves through a varied and satisfying program. Assembled by trumpeter and former Berklee educator Mike Metheny, these “jazz sounds from the heartland" prove that there's more to Kansas than steak and tornados. In this case, it's a pleasing mix of quartet, quintet, and big band tracks, originals and standards, with some sterling moments, many of them provided by Metheny himself.A supremely lyrical player, Metheny manages to make ...

Interview

Mike Metheny And The Kansas City Trumpet Summit In The Blue Room

Source: C. L. Burnett, American Jazz Museum
July 4, 2013

A modest man stands behind the spotlight as he lets the audience soak in the tasteful music. He gazes around the room, looks at his band members, smiles, and picks up his trumpet. The joy, passion, and free living spirit suddenly takes over the room as the three trumpet players begin to play in unity. Mike Metheny, a musician, educator, and music journalist held a performance with his band, the Kansas City Trumpet Summit in the Blue Room near downtown ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Christian Scott, Alarm Will Sound, Wynton Marsalis' "Swing Symphony," Jazz in Pink, Mike Metheny, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 18, 2012

If you're a fan of jazz trumpet, it's a good week to be in St. Louis, as the calendar of live jazz and creative music performances for the next several days includes visits from three stellar trumpeters. Other concerts this weekend offer a variety of musical textures and styles, ranging from the intimate to the orchestral and from traditional to ultramodern. Let's go to the highlights.... Tonight, trumpeter Christian Scott (pictured) opens a four-night gig with his band at Jazz ...
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Interview

Q&A: Mike Metheny

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
June 20, 2011

We last heard from Mike Metheny on his excellent and insightful blog Doc Severinsen-A Legend, And A Friend. Since then he's been working on another musical project close to his heart, a compilation of his own favorite recorded tracks over the past 20 years. So we meet up again in the Q&A to talk about his new “best of" recording Old Wine/New Bossa: Selected Tracks. - JV How would you describe yourself artistically over the past 20 years? More experienced ...
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Recording

Mike Metheny's "Old Wine/New Bossa: Selected Tracks" - 2011 Compilation

Source: Mike Metheny
June 8, 2011

Trumpeter Mike Metheny's tenth solo album is a compilation of previously released recordings covering a 20-year period and a wide range of styles. Also included is a fresh version of a track first recorded in 2001. Mike, who favors the flugelhorn and EVI (electronic valve instrument), grew up near Kansas City, Missouri, where he now lives. For 13 years in the 1970s and '80s he was based in Boston. Featured on this sampler are some of the best jazz musicians ...
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Recording

Download a Free MP3 from Mike Metheny's Latest Release "60.1"

Source: Michael Ricci
August 16, 2010

An All About Jazz exclusive!

Download “Syncomation" (7:39) By Mike Metheny From 60.1

About Mike Metheny

From 1971 to 1974, he was a trumpeter in the U.S. Army Field Band in Washington D.C., and in 1976 ...
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Recording

Mike Metheny Releases "60.1"

Source: Michael Ricci
April 7, 2010

60.1 is trumpeter Mike Metheny's ninth album as a leader. The eclectic set covers styles ranging from evocative ballads and straightahead jazz to the raucous title track and a novel nod to marching bands. Featured on 60.1 are some of Kansas City's finest jazz musicians including Roger Wilder and Paul Smith (keyboards), Bob Bowman (acoustic bass) and Brandon Draper (drums). Seven of the ten tracks are originals by Mike, and in addition to his instrument of choice, the flugelhorn, the ...
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