A Personal Note:

As a trumpet player I find inspiration difficult to come by from other players.  As a musician, listening to other artists is critical to personal development and understanding how the instrument can be utilized.  As an individual appreciating the music and message of other artists, I have found a true love for the style and skill of our featured artist, Dmitri Matheny.  Before delving into our interview, I want to personally thank Dmitri for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his perspectives with myself and the readers of AzCulture.

I met Dmitri online.  A local artists with an international outreach, he was hidden from the local scene here in Arizona, or so it seemed; but he is a jewel that needs to be recognized and appreciated if for no other reason than to confirm that there are extremely talented artists here in Arizona.  Don't take my word for it though.  Take a moment to listen to the sweet and subtle sound of Dmitri Matheny.

Gabriel Bey, Trumpet and Love
aka
Spooky Kool, Your Friend in the Spiritual Age

The Facts:

Name
Dmitri Matheny

Band
My primary ensembles are Grant & Matheny, a duo with pianist Darrell Grant (based in Portland, Oregon), and the Dmitri Matheny Group, a quintet with personnel that varies depending on the project.

Web/Social Media
Website http://www.dmitrimatheny.com/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/dmitrimatheny
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/dmitrimatheny
Website http://www.dmitrimatheny.com/
Wikipedia http://on.fb.me/dmathenywiki
Biography http://bit.ly/dmwebbio
Dmitri Matheny Group http://bit.ly/rLPkjg
Grant & Matheny http://bit.ly/trCYae
Press Kit http://lafango.com/epk/DmitriMatheny
All About Jazz http://bit.ly/dmathenyaaj
Encyclopedia of Jazz http://bit.ly/dmeoj
All Music Guide http://bit.ly/dmamg
Linkedin http://linkd.in/twTvsE
YouTube http://bit.ly/vFUFyY
iTunes http://bit.ly/vP5N6C
Amazon http://amzn.to/w29jKa
CD Baby http://bit.ly/tNkFdO
Spotify http://spoti.fi/dmatheny
ReverbNation http://bit.ly/sCjdnI
iLike http://bit.ly/v0vjf7
last.fm http://bit.ly/twmPi7
SixtyOne http://bit.ly/saaI2S

Email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Article:

Dmitri was born on December 25, 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee but raised in both Georgia and Arizona.  Moved by his father's love for Jazz, Dmitri began his passion for music at age 5 learning to play piano and switching to the trumpet at age 9.  His knowledge of music and his love for the Flugelhorn took flight when he began attending the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and on to Boston's Berklee School of Music where he graduated magna cum laude in 1989.

He continued honing in on his skills and after studies with the famed Carmine Caruso in New York, Dmitri became the protege of Art Farmer.  Under the wings of Art Farmer for over 10-years, Dmitri emerged as a new voice for the Flugelhorn.  Spending a considerable amount of time recording on the West Coast, Dmitri began touring internationally.  He has performed with the likes of popular artists such as the Temptations, Frankie Avalon, the Four Tops, and the O'Jays.  He has also performed with Jazz greats such as Larry Coryell, James Moody, Red Holloway, and Billy Higgins.

By no means is this a comprehensive list of Dmitri's resume, but a testament to his art, diversity, and talent.  From Compositions, Movie Scores, and Soundtracks, Dmitri is also a prolific composer and Lyricist.  A true treasure, AzCulture is pleased to offer as our featured musician, Dmitri Matheny.

The Interview:

AZC:

What motivated you to get started as a musician and/or performer?

DM:

I credit my father and his hip record collection for kindling my childhood interest in music. There was great music on our turntable all the time, from Rachmaninoff to Ray Charles.

According to Dad, one time when I was about five, he was spinning Kind of Blue. I asked, "Daddy what's that sound?" When he answered, "That's Miles Davis, a great jazz musician." I responded, "That's what I want to be when I grow up!" The story may be apocryphal, but Miles is still my man.

AZC:

What type of inspiration do you get to development of your music?

DM:

After graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, I had the opportunity to study privately for ten years with a master musician, Art Farmer. He became my mentor, and remains the single greatest inspiration and influence on my music and life. My years under Art's tutelage was an invaluable part of my education. Art was my finishing school. I'm profoundly grateful to him for how generous he was with his time, sharing his wisdom about music and life. Art taught me about what to value in this craft of jazz: the importance of taking risks and challenging yourself, but never losing the fundamental primacy of playing in tune with a mature tone above all. He would say, "Fill that horn with air! It doesn't matter how hip you can play if you don't maintain a good sound." And he really walked the talk. Art developed a tone so rich, round and warm, it has become the gold standard for all of us who are serious about the big horn.

Art had a comfortable life in Vienna, with a house, a family and a steady gig as soloist with the radio orchestra there, but he never rested on his laurels. He made over 200 recordings and continued to practice every day and develop as an artist, maintaining his profile, touring internationally right up until the very end of his life.

When Art died, Billy Taylor and I performed a duet at his memorial, and I was honored to play one of my mentor's flugelhorns. This is the horn I play today. I treasure the instrument, but I'll probably go to my grave trying to figure out how Art Farmer was able to produce such a gorgeous tone on it.

It's truly a remarkable gift, to meet your hero, the world's acknowledged master on your instrument, and for him to ultimately become your teacher and friend. Miraculously, it happened to me, and I will be forever grateful.

You know, mentor-protege relationships in jazz are so important. While it's wonderful that colleges, conservatories and other institutions are now embracing jazz education, I feel strongly that our master musicians need to maintain the lineage of the oral tradition. There are some things you just can't learn in school.

AZC:

How would you categorize your music?

DM:

As a flugelhornist, I play jazz — lyrical, modern, mainstream jazz in the tradition of Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Stan Getz. My discography as a sideman is mostly a balance of instrumental and vocal jazz, including original straight ahead material, familiar jazz classics, hard bop, west coast cool and standards from the Great American Songbook.

However, as a composer and bandleader, I like to bring in elements from other genres, such as pan-Asian instruments, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and film music orchestration techniques. I'm a romantic who loves to create an atmosphere, set a mood or establish a scene in the mind of the listener. Jazz alone won't do it. A critic, reviewing one of my CDs, said "their music is a fertile landscape without boundaries." That assessment feels right to me.

AZC:

What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you while being observed developing or performing a piece?

DM:

I was working with a quintet at the Jazz Bakery in LA some years ago, when the leader called "The Outlaw," a Horace Silver tune.

I said, "I've heard it, but I don't really know the tune," and he replied, "Don't worry. Just follow along. You'll pick it up."

I don't know if you've ever heard it, but the piece is kind of tricky. Not really something you can learn on the fly. I did my best to play it by ear, but needless to say, that particular performance was not my shining hour.

Wouldn't you know, after the song ended, the leader announced, "That was 'The Outlaw.' And ladies and gentlemen, we're delighted to have, in the audience tonight, the composer -- Horace Silver!" At which point the man stood up in the back of the room.

The audience cheered. The band laughed. I was mortified.

AZC:

Will you share a secret about your music that identifies and brands your work?

DM:

For me, melody is the soul of a song. It comes first and matters most. Anyone can learn orchestration from Adler, or study arranging in school, but a melody is a precious, heaven-sent thing. Some composers write religiously at the same time every day. Not me. I can't compose unless I am inspired. Occasionally I will feel an overwhelming desire to write late at night or at other inconvenient times. I've learned to pay attention to that feeling, to drop whatever I'm doing and "strike while the iron is hot." I write most prolifically when traveling, so you might say that many of my compositions are inspired by my travels. A melody will come to me and I'll sing it to myself, allowing it to evolve and develop organically in my mind. Eventually harmony, counterpoint and other formal elements will begin to suggest themselves. That's when I sit down and take out my score paper.

AZC:

What advice would you give someone just starting up in your profession?

DM:

To remember that, for an artist, technique and creativity are both necessary. They are medium and muse. They're like your left foot and your right foot: you need both to get anywhere. Because technical mastery devoid of inspiration is bunk, and an artistic vision without the skill to express it is a tragedy. I always work on technical drills and etudes when I practice, but when I perform I forget about technique and play from the heart.

To keep beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few. As artists, we experience this paradox. Many of us feel we have to be as practiced, expert and competent as possible. But the moment we perceive ourselves as experts, and the enlarged ego emerges, we impede our own growth and artistic possibility.

That we are, all of us, interconnected. Life itself is a work of art, each one of us is an artist, and compassion is our medium of expression. Daily we have the opportunity to create and shape our lives.

AZC:

What’s the most difficult aspect of trying to make it in your profession?

DM:

First of all, every artist has to define, for himself, what "making it" means. Success is many different things to different people.

Personally, I've never been motivated to pursue wealth or fame. Had I been interested in those things, I certainly wouldn't have decided to play jazz.

But I do want to be able to make a living, earn the respect of my peers and play good, soulful music with people I enjoy. That's "making it" to me.

And in my more ambitious moments, I hope to make a contribution to the culture that will be remembered after I'm gone, the way Art Farmer did.

I would say the most difficult aspect of a career like mine is learning to persevere in the face of adversity. To keep on keeping on in spite of the manic ups and downs that inevitably occur. To maintain humility and quiet consistency, like the grandfather clock in the corner that steadily ticks away quietly, regardless of the weather outside.

AZC: