Celebrate Mancini known for music behind ‘Pink Panther’ and more with Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny and the David Larsen Quartet

Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny will join the David Larsen Quartet Friday night at the Hamilton Listening Room in Spokane to celebrate “The Music of Henry Mancini.”

A protégé of famed American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist Art Farmer, Matheny is celebrated for his warm tone, lyrical performances, masterful technique and lauded as “one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation,” according to the International Review of Music. He attended the world-renowned music school at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1989.

Matheny has toured throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He’s traveled to 21 countries and has performed with several Motown and popular music acts, including the Temptations, Martha Reeves, Fabian, the Four Tops, Bobby Vinton, Sandy Patty, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and the O’Jays.

Larson, a saxophonist, composer and educator, holds a Ph.D. from Washington State University, works as the director of instrumental studies at Spokane Falls Community College and is an active adjudicator with festivals around the U.S.

As a composer, Larson’s published works have won multiple awards, including JW Peppers Editor’s Choice for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary since the composer’s birth. Mancini, who died in 1994 at 70 from pancreatic cancer, had earned several awards during his decadeslong career, including 20 Grammys, four Oscars and a Golden Globe. Mancini is also the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is best known for motion picture and television compositions, bringing a peculiar flare to movies like “The Pink Panther,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Sunflower,” “Charade” and many more.

Tickets for $35 can be purchased at larsenjazz.com.