Yesterday Scout and I woke to the sound of raindrops on the roof of our tour bus. She tilted her head and stared up at the ceiling in wonder. I immediately fell asleep again. Rain is a terrific soporific. 

Destination: Oakland CA 

Distance: 306 miles 

Lovely day yesterday traveling with my best girl through Washington and Oregon to California. 

We enjoyed the rain, listened to murder mystery audiobooks, and made excellent time on I-5, considering all…

To K.

Hawks are lazing in the azure sky 

Come walk in the warm sun with me 

Goldenrods and Joe-Pye sway with the wind 

Come walk in the autumn fields with me 

…

The thunder groans and soon gives birth 

To storm still-born, September’s worth — 

To searing sight of flashing light 

That tears apart the sky-soaked night: 

Staccato sound of pelting rain 

Throbs through my open window-pane. 

“The foundation of any national character is human nature.”
―Vasily Grossman
 

Of all the many magical places I’ve encountered in my travels, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto’s Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is one of the most magnificent. Set…

“Truth is not only 
stranger than fiction, 
it is more interesting.” 
—William Randolph Hearst 
 

After the Tennessee trip I called my father.

“Did you know that Lela was serious about music when she was in high school? She…

“Your vibe attracts your tribe.” 
—Anthony Bourdain 

“We go back like car seats.” 
—Harry Bosch 

It can’t be an easy thing to raise a son. 

It’s a balancing act. To help him find his way in life…

“What makes the desert so beautiful 
is that somewhere it hides a well.” 
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

Four days later we arrive, hot and tired, in the Old Pueblo. 

Daddy Bill pilots our dusty U-Haul into an open parking…

the smell of the rain 
the sound of the train 
my dog by the fire 
home again 

As a boy in rural Tennessee, Billy Matheny slept in an attic bedroom, the slanted ceiling only a few inches above his…

Dmitri Matheny Group JAZZ NOIR
Michigan Tour Diary — Day 14
April 24 Midland, Linden

Gave two Melodic Mastery jazz improvisation workshops today:
a morning clinic at Herbert Henry Dow HS in Midland,
and an afternoon session one hour south…

Dmitri Matheny Group JAZZ NOIR
Michigan Tour Diary — Day 3
April 12 Traverse City MI

On a rainy Saturday night in the warehouse district of Traverse City, Michigan,
a killer jazz band plays classic film noir themes for a…

Listen to the Rain

Even as we enjoy these winter rains, we're already looking forward to this summer's tours and residencies in the San Francisco Bay Area (June 1-30), Pacific Northwest (July 10-20), and California Coast (July 21-26)! Plenty of workshops, concerts, festivals, club…

I love all films that start with rain:

rain, braiding a windowpane

or darkening a hung-out dress

or streaming down her upturned face;

one big thundering downpour

right through the empty script and score