Dmitri Matheny flugelhorn and spoken word
Bill Anschell piano (10, 11)
Matt Clark piano (2, 7, 8, 9)
Nick Manson piano (1, 5, 12)
Charles McNeal tenor saxophone (2, 7, 8, 9) 
Susan Pascal vibraphone (3, 4, 6)
Phil Sparks bass (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12),
Todd Strait drums (1, 5, 12)
Akira Tana drums (2, 7, 8, 9) 
Jay Thomas tenor and soprano saxophones (1, 5, 12)
John Wiitala bass (2, 7, 8, 9)

Mysterious, melancholy and menacing, JAZZ NOIR offers a fresh spin on crime jazz, film noir and timeless classics. 

Selections include classic movie themes from Touch of Evil, Laura, Chinatown, Vertigo, Taxi Driver, Blues In The Night, Twin Peaks, Toute Une Vie, High Wall, The Long Goodbye and Stormy Weather, modern standards Estate, Caravan, Here’s Looking At You and Golden Lady, and two originals: Film Noir (from a poem by Dana Gioia) and Crime Scenes, a San Francisco-inspired jazz suite with voiceover narration in the hardboiled style of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

The Papillon/BluePort Jazz release, Matheny's 11th album as leader, showcases the talents of “some of the most accomplished musicians in the western United States” (All About Jazz): Bill Anschell, Matt Clark, Nick Manson, Charles McNeal, Susan Pascal, Phil Sparks, Todd Strait, Akira Tana, Jay Thomas and John Wiitala. 

“In these grooves,” writes annotator Eddie Muller, “Matheny leads his crack crew through a sonic history of noir. Dmitri Matheny is an artist who manages to find beauty blooming in the darkest corners.”

JAZZ NOIR

Caravan

Celebrated for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, American musician Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as “the first breakthrough flugelhornist since Chuck Mangione” (San Jose Mercury News). First introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer, Matheny has matured into “one of the jazz world’s most talented horn players” (San Francisco Chronicle). The Dmitri Matheny Group plays fresh, original works, familiar jazz classics, hard bop, west coast cool and beloved standards from the Great American Songbook. “Their music is a fertile landscape without boundaries,” writes the Oakland Tribune, “earning Matheny and his cohorts a reputation as one of the most eclectic and daring ensembles on today’s jazz scene.”All About Jazz agrees: “An all-star jazz band featuring some of the most accomplished musicians in the western United States, the Dmitri Matheny Group is a cohesive and seamless unit, serving up equal parts soulful expression, caressing phrases, imaginative asides, and dedicated lyricism.”