Dmitri Matheny

Dmitri Matheny has pursued parallel paths in music, serving as both a sensitive flugelhorn player known for his gentle tone and focus on lyrical ballads, and as an executive with talent-scouting duties at the Monarch label. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, he first became interested in the trumpet at age five upon hearing his father play Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue. Although he received formal training on trumpet, Matheny gravitated toward its softer qualities and ultimately devoted himself solely to the flugelhorn. His studies took him to Interlochen Arts Academy and Berklee College of Music, where he also received individual instruction from Art Farmer. After earning his degree from Berklee in 1989, he relocated to San Francisco, where he established the ensemble SOMA. His recording debut came via Monarch with the 1996 release Red Reflections, which was succeeded by Penumbra and Starlight Café; the latter features Matheny performing alongside pianist Darrell Grant and bassist Bill Douglass in a trio setting. Matheny shows considerable promise both as a builder of Monarch's artist roster, frequently taking on production responsibilities, and as an interpreter of the appealing music he favors.