Dmitri Matheny - Grant & Matheny

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:22

Size: 122.2 MB

Styles: Chamber jazz

Year: 2010

Art: Front

[4:23] 1. The Crucifixion

[1:47] 2. Think Of One

[9:08] 3. Around The World Suite

[5:53] 4. Bach To Brazil

[6:08] 5. Nature Boy Fragile

[3:12] 6. Boplicity

[6:30] 7. Fleurette Africaine

[4:15] 8. Country

[3:18] 9. Without A Song

[8:42] 10. Spirituals

Since their 1998 debut at New York's Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the classically-trained jazz duo of Darrell Grant (piano) and Dmitri Matheny (flugelhorn) has solidified their reputation as "pioneers and champions of the chamber jazz movement" (Public Radio International).

Exploring the lyricism, the swing, and the soul of songs, GRANT & MATHENY blend the intimate elegance of European chamber music with the playful, spontaneous spirit of American jazz. They perform a large and diverse repertoire with material drawn from many musical genres: classical works of Barber and Bach, jazz standards by Ellington and Monk, contemporary songs of Keith Jarrett and Sting, Negro spirituals, New Orleans second line, American Popular Song, Argentenian tango, ambient film music and more.

Spicing each show with personal stories, impromptu vocal riffs and warm camaraderie, Grant & Matheny are the modern day heirs to a legacy that reaches back to the days of vaudeville and early jazz. The duo appears on major concert stages and festivals around the country, following in the footsteps of legendary teams of touring entertainers who pioneered the art and craft of duo performance: Williams & Walker, Sissle & Blake, Mitchell & Ruff, Armstrong & Hines.

According to Stereophile, "Grant & Matheny are intense listeners, sometimes anticipating and instantly echoing ideas, yet always weaving one fabric." All About Jazz agrees: "Grant & Matheny have played together for years, and it shows: they share the lead; they finish each other's phrases. Both players have refined their instrumental technique to the essentials, giving the music a relaxed, uncomplicated sensibility that makes it fun to listen to. Not surprisingly, the audience loves them."

Grant & Matheny

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Dmitri Matheny - Starlight Cafe

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 135.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[8:45] 1. Stardust
[7:18] 2. When Lights Are Low
[6:18] 3. Twilight World
[6:09] 4. Spring Skylight
[5:01] 5. Whisper, Muse
[6:39] 6. Geneva
[4:13] 7. Soca Nova
[6:03] 8. Corcovado (Quiet Nights)
[5:03] 9. Saturn's Child
[3:34] 10. When You Wish Upon A Star

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 several of Matheny's similarly themed originals. The 34-year-old Nashville native, now a stalwart on the Bay Area jazz scene, is a velvety smooth player who favors the lyrical and poetic side of jazz over the fire and brimstone side championed by many of his contemporaries. His tone and overall approach bear the strong influence of his mentor, the impeccable "flumpet" player Art Farmer. His ballad playing also recalls that of another master of California romanticism, Chet Baker.

The album was recorded live in Berkeley with a drummer-less trio featuring the fine pianist Darrell Grant (ex-Betty Carter, Frank Morgan, Tony Williams) and bassist Bill Douglass (Mario McPartland's West Coast partner). Matheny and his talented cohorts have made a highly enjoyable album of late-night jazz that proves you don't need to make a lot of noise to make a strong impression. ~Joel Roberts

Starlight Cafe

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