Official Website of Jazz Trumpeter

2013 METHENY MUSIC FOUNDATION "KNIGHT AWARD" WINNER ANNOUNCED

On Saturday, March 9, 2013, Mike appeared onstage as part of the Lee's Summit (MO) Symphony Orchestra's "Family Pops" concert to present the Metheny Music Foundation's first "Knight Award" college scholarship to Lee's Summit North senior and vocalist Patrick Graham. Mike also performed "One Note Samba" with the LSSO's rhythm section. For more about this and other MMF news and information, please visit the Foundation's website at: http://www.methenymusicfoundation.org.

2012 METHENY MUSIC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

On Saturday, May 5, 2012, Mike appeared onstage with the director of the Lee's Summit (MO) Symphony, Russ Berlin (who is also a Metheny Music Foundation board member) to award the Foundation's annual music camp and summer studies scholarships. For more about the 2012 scholarships and other MMF news and information, visit the Foundation's website at: http://www.methenymusicfoundation.org.

Mike's 10th Solo Recording is Released.
May 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 released 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 from both cities. They are: Brad Hatfield, Dick Odgren, Paul Smith, Roger Wilder (piano and keyboards); Marshall Wood, Bob Bowman, Gerald Spaits (acoustic bass); Bob Savine, Todd Strait, Tommy Ruskin, Brandon Draper (drums); Rod Fleeman, Danny Embrey (guitar); Olga Román (voice); and special guest on one track, guitarist Pat Metheny.

In addition to saluting past and present colleagues with this CD, Mike says there were other factors that led to its release.

"Strictly in terms of my own contributions to nine other solo projects, I've always felt there might be a single good album. So, in many ways, this is the record I wish I'd made years ago.

"It's also a career summary of sorts. There are the Boston and Kansas City musicians, there's flugel and EVI, there's jazz and classical, ballads, bossas and bebop. It's a 12-track, 59-minute set that represents everything in a pretty comprehensive and complete kind of way.

"But most of all it is a reminder of how lucky I've been to collaborate with such talented people over the years... and how much fun it can be when things come together in the studio."

For sound clips and ordering information, please go to "Recordings."

And for the YouTube support video, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54mVdwdGss4.

OTHER MIKE METHENY NEWS

Mike can also be heard (and seen) in several videos promoting the Metheny Music Foundation. Currently playing on YouTube are "Pages from the Scrapbook," part 1 and part 2, and Mike "in the woodshed" with the EVI (electronic valve instrument). Adagio for Maya" from "60.1" also has its own YouTube video.

And the International Trumpet Guild (online) has published Mike's instructional article "Jazz Improvisation as a Language." Mike was also the subject of a Q&A interview in the January 2006 edition of the ITG Journal. See below.

After conducting over 50 Q&A interviews for Kansas City's Jazz Ambassador Magazine from 1994 to 2003, Mike has been on the other side of several, including:

Mike Metheny interviewed by International Trumpet Guild INTERNATIONAL TRUMPET GUILD JOURNAL (CLICK HERE)
January 2006 (Vol. 30, #2) (ITG web site: www.trumpetguild.org)

JAZZ IMPROV MAGAZINE (Autumn 2004 issue; Vol. 5 #1) http://www.jazzimprov.com

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE (Feb/March 2004)

Mike also continues to wear his writer's hat as the author of a profile of the Kansas City jazz scene in the May 2005 issue of Kansas City Magazine (in which he was the subject of his own profile, July 2006); the liner notes for "Super-singer," (click link for PDF file), Marilyn Maye's musical tribute to Johnny Carson; plus other freelance writing projects.

WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT "60.1"

"Mike Metheny has returned with a new disc that demonstrates his immense talent as a flugelhorn artist. 60.1 is also a date where Metheny's mastery of the EVI is apparent on several deeply compelling tracks." -- "The Last Call," KIOS 91.5 FM (Omaha, NE)

"...the entirety of 60.1 is characterized by Metheny's artistic restlessness, adventurous spirit and stupendous musicality." -- plasticsax.blogspot.com

"... this is a collection of Kansas City talent I treasure." -- kcjazzlark.blogspot.com

"This CD is like a box of chocolates... Mike is playing jazz for the new century." -- International Music Forum (New Zealand)

"A brilliant effort by a venerated fixture of the jazz landscape, 60.1 will resonate profoundly with serious jazz lovers as well as those with more eclectic tastes. Bravo, Mike Metheny, for musically journeying where few dare to go." -- iTunes, CDBaby (reviewed by Michael Pagán)

To listen to the "60.1" Jazz Online podcast, please click here.

WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT "KC POTPOURRI"

"Intriguing, impressive, and easy on the ears, KC Potpourri is one of the better big band albums to come along in quite a while." — Jazziz Magazine.

"...as you experience the passion and feeling during 'Always and Forever' (written by brother Pat), you will get the gene connection. Incredible interpretation, amazing solo. One of my favorites. ...And don't miss Metheny's take on Jobim's 'How Insensitive,' which, in my opinion, defines Mike's musical voice." — www.radioio.com.

"This is a CD you just can't stop listening to. Mike Metheny's flugelhorn is so pure and human a sound that it is mesmerizing." — International Trumpet Guild Journal.

"Overall, this is Mike Metheny's most rewarding recording to date and well worth acquiring."— L.A. Jazz Scene.

WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT "CLOSE ENOUGH FOR LOVE"

"I haven't a clue as to how (Mike) coaxes such warm, shapely, full-toned, and sensitive sounds out of a bent brass tube. Even when he plays with a mute, or on his trusty Electronic Valve Instrument, you're never in doubt that the man behind the horn is a real person, with real feelings." — Terry Teachout (from the liner notes to "Close Enough for Love").

"One of the most interesting aspects of the album is the range of sound and expression Metheny is able to extract from the synthesizer sounds of the EVI..."— Los Angeles Times

"Whether Mike is gracefully blowing the muted cornet, flugelhorn or tearing it up on EVI (which he does often), his signature warm pitch and emotive musical demeanor is profoundly present throughout this entire recording.."— JazzOnline

"On this CD, Mike Metheny has produced a modern song cycle: eclectic, cohesive, and very enjoyable." — All Music Guide

WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT "BACK TO BASICS"

"(Back to Basics) is a beautiful collection of mostly classical masterpieces adapted for Mike and two other players. I highly recommend it. — Patchman Music,
http://www.patchmanmusic.com

"(Back to Basics) presents a genuine lesson in music history for the student, and provides an enjoyable reflection on classical music for the veteran listener. ...(It) opens doors for those who want to learn about the relationship between classical music and modern jazz. ...What a treat for aspiring students of any age!" — L.A. Jazz Scene

"'Homage,' the only representative of Metheny's compositional acuity, is a well-crafted brass ensemble piece that ends with the highlight of the album, a powerful and harmonically rich fanfare." — Jazz Improv Magazine