From the Lee’s Summit (MO) History Museum:
Lee’s Summit, Missouri is the hometown of guitarist and 20-time Grammy winner Pat Metheny. Pat and his brother Mike, a trumpeter, educator and music journalist, grew up in Lee’s Summit during the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s.
The story of the Methenys in Lee’s Summit began in 1915 with the arrival of Harrison Metheny, Mike and Pat’s grandfather. Harrison was a builder, theater owner, automobile dealer and rural mail carrier. Dave Metheny, Harrison’s son and the father of Mike and Pat, was also a prominent Lee’s Summit automobile dealer as well as a part-time musician. Other musical roots shared by the brothers can be traced back to their maternal grandfather, Delmar Hansen, a professional trumpeter in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
The 100-year history of the Metheny family is now part of an exhibit at the new Lee’s Summit History Museum, which opened in April of 2015. In addition to a narrated slide show, some of the items on display include:
- Pat Metheny’s 1983 Grammy Award for “Off Ramp”
- Delmar Hansen’s 1921 Conn cornet
- Mike Metheny’s 1988 Boston Music Award
- A music stand built in 1960 by Dave Metheny
- The Metheny family tree
For additional information, contact the museum or visit the website
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.
January 2006 (Vol. 30, #2)
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 the International Trumpet Guild Journal.
What They’ve Said About “A Kansas City Trumpet Summit”
“This is not a ‘cutting contest’ but rather an aggregation of very talented musicians (and arrangers) clearly having fun making music.”
(Kansas City) Jazz Ambassador Magazine
“The Kansas City jazz scene is thriving these days, and one strong piece of evidence of that comes from trumpeters Stan Kessler, Hermon Mehari, and Mike Metheny on their CD, A Kansas City Trumpet Summit. Kessler and Metheny have been two of the stalwarts of the scene for many years, as is the bassist here, Gerald Spaits, and the new generation of KC players is served well by Mehari, pianist T.J. Martley and drummer Brian Steever. This is no wild extravaganza of ‘can you top this?’ pyrotechnics, but rather an exercise in melodicism. All three shine on the swinging Charlie Parker tune, Segment, that opens the proceedings. There’s two by Jobim, and Mike Metheny uses his EVI (electronic valve instrument) to good effect on So Danco Samba and on a lovely, little heard Bill Evans tune, Comrade Conrad. Mehari shines on Body and Soul. It’s a polished, gorgeous CD, but I would love to have a live recording where everyone cuts loose more (as all three can).
Bob McWilliams, “Jazz in the Night” (Kansas Public Radio)
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.com
“… this is a collection of Kansas City talent I treasure.”
KC Jazz Lark
“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 (reviewed by Michael Pagán)
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
“(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