Woke up with the sun, grabbed an espresso from the bikini baristas, and hit the road for Seabeck, a mill town on Hood Canal.
Followed a beautifully maintained walking trail to a small waterfall. Not another human soul in sight.
Sketched an idea for vibraphone and double bass. Not what I’d planned, but could be something.
Today’s meal: steamed mussels with salad, bread, and wine. Almost as good as Bartje's!
Tonight’s lullaby: Clifford Brown with Strings.
Goodnight, Blue Moon.
“Remember, you’re not alone.
You’re part of an international
brotherhood of artists and musicians.
We’re all in this together.”
—Art Farmer
I aspire to be a Citizen of the World.
A world citizen is a xenophile whose identity transcends geography. Rather than swearing allegiance to a particular nation, ethnicity, or religion, the world citizen treats everyone with equal respect, and derives his rights and responsibilities from membership in the human race at large. He endeavors to be a man for all people.
I aspire to be a Citizen of the World.
Art Farmer was such a man. At the height of his success, as his Jazztet was winning American popularity polls, Art relocated to Vienna, Austria, then commenced to tour internationally for decades. His extensive discography includes dozens of collaborations with musicians all over the world. Near the end of his storied life and career, he was awarded both the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, the highest honor our nation bestows upon a jazz musician, and the prestigious Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class.
World Citizen Art Farmer received the highest honors in both America and Austria
Art had been an adventurer ever since he was a teen, when he and twin brother Addison set out for Los Angeles in search of their destinies. But even after many productive decades in the music business, Art never lost his humility or curiosity. He knew that his chosen career of traveling musician granted admission to the global creative class, an identity he cherished as the foundation of his enlightened worldview.
“Remember, you’re not alone,” Farmer told a room full of aspiring jazz students at Stanford University. “You’re part of an international brotherhood of artists and musicians. We’re all in this together.”
Art Farmer’s philosophy resonated deeply with me, perhaps even more than his brilliant, lyrical music. He was “beyond category,” a true Citizen of the World, and I was inspired to live by his example.
In the years since my mentor’s passing, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy many opportunities for international travel with family, friends and fellow musicians. Occasionally I experienced little more than a hotel and concert hall, but whenever time would allow, I made sure to get out, see the sights, and break bread with the locals. I’ve watched the sunrise in Tuscany, climbed the cliffs of Santorini, serenaded penguins in Patagonia, viewed fireworks over Bangkok, and listened to evening prayers echo through the streets of Jakarta. I’ve visited an artist in Kyoto, a tea master in Uji, a winemaker in Alsace and a chocolatier in Brussels. I’ve met so many fascinating people in my travels, several of whom have become lifelong friends.
I’m grateful to the bandleaders who invited me to be part of their international adventures, notably Suzan Lesna, Keiko Osamu, and especially Amina Figarova, with whom I recorded two albums and performed in a dozen different countries on tour. For several years in the late nineties and early aughts, Amina and her husband Bart generously hosted me at their home in the Netherlands each fall, an annual residency that enriched my life beyond measure. I love and admire them both as artists, friends, and world citizens.
It was my privilege to record two albums with Amina for Munich Records
Although I never became a pilot (holding out for a jetpack, I suppose), I never missed an opportunity to fly, and the long international flights were often most luxurious. Singapore Airlines provided big leather chairs, soft lighting, and an array of Asian delicacies. British Airways offered formal tea and cakes; Japan Airlines served sake and sushi. Virgin Airlines had spa treatments and sleeping pods. And KLM, my favorite, boasted a gorgeous cohort of leggy blonde stewardesses, whose fitted blue uniforms and winning smiles harkened back to the Golden Age of Air Travel.
The airports, however, were chaotic, unpleasant places. Everyone was on high alert after 9/11. Departure meant grappling with the recently formed TSA, whose agents relished their nascent power like freshly minted mall cops. Arrival meant trying to appear inconspicuous under the gaze of scowling soldiers, in full riot gear, with machine guns.
We learned to allow an extra hour or two for security screening, during which agents would empty our bags, disassemble our instruments, pat us down and shout commands over the hum of x-ray scanners. “Empty your pockets! Take off your belt and shoes! No liquids!” On one occasion I was pulled out of line, strip-searched down to my socks, and interrogated. “What is this?” barked the agent, holding up my tiny bottle of valve oil. “And exactly what sort of name is Dmitri?” he demanded suspiciously, squinting at the random assortment of stamps in my passport.
But it wasn’t always so bad. One of my favorite airport memories was arriving in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2002 Caspian Sea Jazz Festival. I’d been working with Amina for several years, and was thrilled to see her ancestral homeland for the first time. I wanted to find out what sort of Silk Road Shangri-La could produce such a regal, charismatic bandleader. I nicknamed Amina “The Diva,” and often teased her about her aristocratic lineage and manner, but I didn’t fully appreciate where she was coming from until that day.
We arrived in Baku exhausted, to long lines of weary, grey-faced travelers. Prepared for a long wait at customs, we took our place at the back of the crowd. Suddenly a dapper gentleman in a dark suit appeared beside us. He smiled warmly, greeted us by name, placed our passports in his breast pocket, and handed Amina a giant bouquet of flowers, kissing her on both cheeks. The distinguished official then ushered us briskly through the crowd, past customs, down a private corridor and straight outside, where a ceremonial honor guard stood waiting at attention beside a row of shiny black town cars. “Apparently Amina is kind of a big deal around here,” I muttered to no-one in particular.
I was right. The whole band was wined, dined, and treated like royalty. There were welcome gifts, guided tours, shopping excursions to the Taza Bazaar, and even a special banquet in Amina’s honor. We feasted on grilled lamb, champagne and caviar, serenaded by a traditional darbuka ensemble complete with belly dancer, who danced with all of us after dinner. The evening concluded with an astonishingly long series of celebratory cognac and vodka toasts to Amina, her family, and the band. It was a glorious evening.
the whole band was wined, dined, and treated like royalty
The festival itself was a triumph of concerts, workshops, jam sessions and creative collaboration. I’ll never forget the delightfully surreal evening we spent at the Caravan Jazz Club, where we performed the funk classic “Pass the Peas” with an international superband of Sax ’N Hop (Germany), Toots Thielemans (Belgium), our quintet (Azerbaijan, Belgium, Netherlands, USA), and half a dozen hungry young horn players.
But the great highlight was our concert at the historic Respublika Palace theater. We played our hearts out, and the band never sounded better. Amina’s modern jazz compositions, especially the ones inspired by traditional Azeri folksongs, were a huge hit with the hometown crowd. The audience cheered wildly.
the highlight was our concert at the historic Respublika Palace theater
20 years later, I still aspire to be a Citizen of the World, but no longer wish to to travel so far, or so often. Touring is a young man’s game, and my jet-setter days best be behind me.
My new dream is a little more down-to-earth. I’m now in the market for a small camper van with a bed in the back, a simple “tour bus” in which my dog Scout and I can ramble around the western states together.
We’ll take our time, travel the back roads, see the sights, and break bread with the locals.
And who knows? I might even play a gig or two.
Clockwise (L-R) bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Chet Baker, Dmitri Matheny at the Chet Baker Memorial in Amsterdam
The first Chet Baker recording I ever heard was not one of his celebrated cool jazz hits from back when he looked like James Dean and played like Miles Davis.
No, I fell in love with Chet in the 1980s, long after his heyday, when he was struggling to play on new dentures and looked more like Clint Eastwood at the end of Pale Rider. Chet was living in Europe at the time, and the album that captivated me, Crystal Bells, showcased his working Belgian trio with guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse.
It was that sound that got me. Chet’s warm tone and halting, yet lyrical lines, were imbued with a fragile, searching quality that hit me like a bullseye right in my melancholy teenage heart.
I must have listened to that album a thousand times.
The drummerless trio provided the perfect balance of interactivity and space for the old explorer, who seemed to be finding his way back from some kind of profound loss. At the time, I didn’t know anything about Chet’s troubled history, but it was all there, laid bare, in the music.
I felt as if I had found the secret key to a soulful world of authenticity and deep feeling.
Chet died a few years later and my appreciation for him only grew.
When I had the opportunity to work with Jean-Louis Rassinfosse in the Netherlands, I told him how much I loved Crystal Bells.
Jean-Louis smiled broadly. “Chet didn’t even have a horn, you know,” he said.
“He’d long ago sold it for drug money. But he kept the mouthpiece in his pocket.”
The veteran bassist then described their routine, how each morning they would call ahead to the next little village on tour and invite all the brass players in the area to come down to the club with their horns.
"At sound check there would be this little row of open instrument cases on the stage," he said. "Chet would go down the line, try out a few different horns, pick one, and that would be the instrument he played that night!
“Sometimes trompet, sometimes kornet or bugel, every night a different instrument,” Jean-Louis said. “But he always sounded like Chet.
“It was that sound, that same sound, always,” Jean-Louis marveled. “And every night, somebody would ask, ‘How do you get that amazing tone? What kind of instrument is that?’ as if the horn itself was somehow magical.
"But it was just Chet. It was all Chet.”
I love this story and 100% believe it to be true, as it confirms my long-standing belief in music as a mystical force, and in master musicians like Baker as sorcerers. The embouchure and equipment are important, but they are secondary. What matters most is your intention.
"Get your mind right," Art Farmer once advised. "You are the instrument. That thing that you're holding is just an amplifier."
“It isn’t the horn,” John Coltrane famously said. “You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.”
On This Day
March 10, 1999
Amina Figarova Septet @ Dizzy
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
March 10, 2002
Grant & Matheny @ Florio Street Concerts
Oakland, California
On This Day
March 1, 1996
5/4 Magazine
By Joseph Murphy
Sometimes, in distinguishing stylists and recordings, it's the little things that stand out...more
March 1, 1996
JazzTimes Magazine
Dmitri Matheny Red Reflections
By Jim Ferguson
With the exception of drummer Alan Jones, who plays with David Friesen...more
March 1, 1998
Workshop @ The JazzSchool
Four Pillars of Success In The Jazz Business
Part 1, Publicity: Ann Dyer, Merrilee Trost, Jon Yanofsky
Berkeley, California
March 1, 1998
Concert @ The Jazzschool
Bill Douglass & Friends
Berkeley, California
March 1, 1999
Jazz at Pearl's
World Premiere: Savannah Panorama
Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
San Francisco, California
March 1, 2000
Monterey Herald
By Mac McDonald
I never thought I’d be listening to a Christmas album in the beginning of spring...more
March 1, 2000
Oakland Tribune
Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny Pays Tribute To His Mentor, Art Farmer
By Christina Eng
Dmitri Matheny got his first instrument, a trumpet, when he was 9...more
March 1, 2003
Concert & Workshop @ The Jazzschool
Amina Figarova International Band
Berkeley, California
10 Years Ago Today
February 21, 2003
Amina Figarova International Band
Downtown Restaurant
Berkeley, California
On This Day
November 24, 1988
New Voice Jazz Sextet
1369 Jazz Club
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Mark Gross, alto saxophone
Jack Wright, tenor saxophone
Mitch Hampton, piano
Peter Herbert, bass
Hans Schuman, drums
November 24, 2001
Amina Figarova Septet
The Music Village
Brussels, Belgium
Amina Figarova, piano
Bart Platteau, flute
Kurt Van Herck, tenor saxophone
Caroline Breuer, alto saxophone
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Wiro Mahieu, bass
Pieter Bast, drums
On This Day
November 22, 2001
Amina Figarova Septet
De Burgt
Leiden, Netherlands
November 21, 1998
Crown Project - Gershwin on Monarch
In-Store Appearance @ Borders
Greenville, Texas
An Evening with Sandi Patty
Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas, Texas
Sandi Patty with
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Tim Davis, voice
Mark Gasbarro, piano
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra
November 21-22, 2002
Amina Figarova International Band
L'Inouï Café-Concert-Théâtre
Redange sur Attert, Luxembourg
Amina Figarova, piano
Bart Platteau, flutes
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Ruth Davies, bass
Chris 'Buckshot' Strik, drums
November 21, 1998
Crown Project - Gershwin on Monarch
In-Store Appearance @ Borders
Greenville, Texas
An Evening with Sandi Patty
Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas, Texas
Sandi Patty with
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Tim Davis, voice
Mark Gasbarro, piano
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra
November 21-22, 2002
Amina Figarova International Band
L'Inouï Café-Concert-Théâtre
Redange sur Attert, Luxembourg
Amina Figarova, piano
Bart Platteau, flutes
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Ruth Davies, bass
Chris 'Buckshot' Strik, drums
November 20, 1998
Crown Project - Gershwin on Monarch
In-Store Appearance @ Borders
Mission Viejo, California
November 20, 1998
Amina Figarova International Band
Jazz Affairs in Het Huis verLoren
Hoorn, Netherlands
On This Day
November 18, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Het Verkadehuis
Roosendaal, Netherlands
20 Years Ago Today
November 17, 1992
SOMA Quartet
New Performance Gallery
San Francisco, California
November 17, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Pinehill Studio
Leersum, Netherlands
November 17, 2002
Amina Figarova Septet
Jazz in Merz - Theater de Stoep
Spijkenisse, Netherlands
November 17, 2005
Amina Figarova International Band
The Palace Crowne Plaza
Brussels, Belgium
On This Day
November 16, 1991
SOMA Quartet
Home of Governor Jerry Brown
San Francisco, California
November 16, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
L'Inouï Café-Concert-Théâtre
Redange sur Attert, Luxembourg
November 15-16, 2005
Amina Figarova International Band
L'Inouï Café-Concert-Théâtre
Redange sur Attert, Luxembourg
On This Day
November 15, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Jazzclub The Mood
Hasselt, Belgium
November 15, 2003
Amina Figarova International Band
Salon Concert
Rotterdam, Netherlands
November 14, 1986
New Voice Jazz Sextet
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Dmitri Matheny, trumpet & flugelhorn
Mark Gross, alto saxophone
Jack Wright, tenor saxophone
Mitch Hampton, piano
Volker Nahrmann, bass
Hans Schuman, drums
Ron Della Chiesa, master of ceremonies
November 14, 2003
Amina Figarova International Band
The Music Village
Brussels, Belgium
Amina Figarova, piano
Bart Platteau, flutes
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Ruth Davies, bass
Chris 'Buckshot' Strik, drums
November 12, 2000
Grant & Matheny
with the Magnolia String Quartet
Chemeketa Auditorium
Salem, Oregon
November 12, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Café Odessa
Nijmegen, Netherlands
November 12-13, 2003
Amina Figarova International Band
L'Inouï Café-Concert-Théâtre
Redange sur Attert, Luxembourg
November 11, 1998
Dmitri Matheny Group
Hawthorne Lane
San Francisco, California
November 11, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Het Podium Cultureel Centrum
Hoogeveen, Netherlands
November 10, 1987
True Colors Big Band
1369 Jazz Club
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Directed by
Ken Schaphorst & Rob Scheps
Anders Bostrom, Kenny Brooks,
Tony Devaney, John Dirac, Wendy Forgie, Jim Harp,
Curtis Hasselbring, Donny McCaslin, John Medeski,
Dmitri Matheny, Jim Odell, Mike Peipman, Josh Roseman,
Mike Sim, Joe Stoebenau, Dave Valdez, Wesley Wirth
November 10, 2001
Amina Figarova International Band
Jazzpodium
Dordrecht, Netherlands
Amina Figarova, piano
Bart Platteau, flutes
Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Ruth Davies, bass
Chris "Buckshot" Strik, drums
November 9, 1998
Gershwin on Monarch
In-Store Appearance @ Borders
World Trade Center
New York, New York
November 9, 2003
Amina Figarova International Band
Jazz Brunch @ Sheraton Brussels
Brussels, Belgium
