Mike Dillon is behind the wheel of his van on the way from one home, New Orleans, to his other, Kansas City, to join his wife, visual artist Peregrine Honig. He’s keeping an eye on the road and obeying the traffic laws, but he’s chatting at a pace way above the speed limit. As he does.

“Right now I’m in Arkansas,” the master percussionist says, bundled up in a multi-colored sweatshirt, his shortish gray hair throwing tufts in various directions. “I’ll be flying back to New Orleans in the m...