Pat Metheny: Life and Work (Part II)
In the period between the recording of The Road to You (1993) and We Live Here (1995), Pat Metheny joined forces with John Scofield to reveal (alongside Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart) the evolution of the guitar and to celebrate the prominence and parity of this instrument with the more traditional ones in the jazz world. Indeed, the arrival of Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Bill Frisell – “the big three” – catapulted the importance of the guitar in this musical style to levels never before seen.
The composition The Red One is dedicated to one of Metheny’s guitars, and clearly illustrates how two top-tier guitarists can have such distinct languages in sound, attitude, and approach. While Scofield is recognised for his distortion, “funky” sound, improvised licks, and swing-influenced phrasing typical of a bop player, Metheny appears with his GR-300, synthesised sound, frenetic phrasing, and melodic vamps, placing intention not in the phrase itself but in each individual note, emphasising its significance.
Frisell and Metheny
Metheny also recorded with Bill Frisell on bassist Marc Johnson’s album The Sound of Summer Running (1996). In this idyllic record, listeners are transported to a summer holiday atmosphere in which Metheny’s guitar assumes the recognised lyricism of his phrasing, while Frisell develops his rich harmonic style. Notably, while Metheny uses his hollow-body jazz guitar (Ibanez PM-100), Frisell enchants with the “twang” of his Telecaster (solid body), enhanced by his characteristic delays, which add depth and character to his sound.
On the track Ghost Town, one can witness Metheny’s first solo, with phrasing dynamics so expressive that it almost feels as though he is “speaking” to us. His subdivision of time communicates in triplets and sixteenth notes, leaving space for Frisell’s eighth and quarter notes, creating a lighter, more harmonic environment, characteristic of Frisell’s style. In Union Pacific, both combine a more energetic approach without compromising the aesthetic previously mentioned.
Haden and Metheny
A year later, Metheny reunited with double bassist Charlie Haden (who had previously participated on the album 80/81) to record a work described by many as a “timeless classic,” incorporating elements of jazz, folk, and country. This album earned a new Grammy and was described by Haden as “contemporary impressionistic Americana.”
The album includes standards such as Two for the Road, Haden compositions like First Song (dedicated to one of his daughters) and Waltz For Ruth (Haden’s wife), a piece by Haden’s son, Josh Haden, titled Spiritual, a traditional song He’s Gone Away, and the theme from the film Cinema Paradiso, among others. Metheny contributed only one of his own compositions, Message to a Friend, previously recorded with Scofield.
Throughout the CD, Metheny demonstrates his ability to breathe life into the compositions as if they were his own. Notably, the approach to Message to a Friend differs significantly from the earlier version with Scofield, with Metheny taking greater prominence while Haden provides space for double-line phrasing and Metheny’s self-accompaniment.
This album is also marked by the rare use of a nylon-string guitar in a jazz context, which would later become associated with musicians such as Earl Klugh, who participated in George Benson albums in addition to his own projects.
Metheny and Mays – Imaginary Day
In 1997, the PMG released the enigmatic Imaginary Day, in which the duo Metheny and Mays explored suite-like compositions, reinventing their sound and taking it into a futuristic universe, producing one of the best recordings of their era. On this album, Metheny presents, in full splendour, his 42-string Pikasso guitar on the track Into the Dream, exploring sonic textures reminiscent of a hybrid between harp and sitar, spanning almost the entire range of a piano’s eight octaves.
Additionally, the album features the techno-inspired track The Roots of Coincidence, awarded Best Instrumental Rock of the Year, once again demonstrating Metheny’s ability to transcend conventional boundaries and surprise listeners with novelty and freshness.
Tradition vs. Modernity
The guitarist’s endless list of collaborations led him, in 1999, to reunite with jazz legends such as Gary Burton and Chick Corea on the albums Like Minds and Jim Hall & Pat Metheny. On the latter, artists from different generations present an edition dedicated entirely to guitar, featuring moments of completely free and spontaneous improvisation. Metheny’s energetic execution on the “all-time standard” Summertime is notable, blending somewhat pop-like chord textures with modern (“hip”) tones while preserving Hall’s pure traditional style.
Also in 1999, the same year he recorded Michael Brecker’s Time Is of the Essence, Metheny recorded his third original album of the year – A Map of the World, the soundtrack for the film of the same name starring Sigourney Weaver and Julianne Moore. The CD included a chamber orchestra conducted by Gil Goldstein, drawing parallels to the orchestral scale of Secret Story while also reflecting the country and folk landscapes present in Beyond the Missouri Sky.
After 25 years of a career sharing stages and studios with countless figures in jazz and international music, Metheny began a period of collaborations with younger musicians such as bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Bill Stewart from the New York scene.
They recorded Trio 99-00 in studio and Trio Live 99-00 live. On these records, the trio presents a Brazilian-rooted interpretation of John Coltrane’s legendary Giant Steps, alongside older and new original compositions by Metheny. The rhythm section would reunite in 2006 and 2007 for collaborations with pianist Brad Mehldau, resulting in two further albums.
The integration of new-generation jazz musicians also extended to the PMG, featuring talents such as drummer Antonio Sanchez (Mexico), trumpeter Cuong Vu (Vietnam), and bassist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona (Cameroon).
This ensemble recorded The Way Up in 2005, alongside the irreplaceable Lyle Mays (piano and synthesizers) and Steve Rodby (bassist and producer). The album concept extends the suite-like ideas previously explored by Metheny and Mays: in fact, the entire record is a single 68-minute piece, akin to a “classical concert,” with distinct dynamics and tempi.
Metheny remains one of the most active international musicians, as shown by his recent works. On Day Trip (2009), he returns to his original trio formation, joined by bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez.
Solo Work
Within Metheny’s oeuvre, there is only one exclusively solo album – One Quiet Night (2003) – in which he explores the baritone guitar with a unique tuning. The second and third strings are, in fact, the highest-pitched in the set. This configuration allowed him to explore harmonic contexts different from the usual in a contemplative environment very characteristic of the composer.
In 2010, he released what is arguably his most avant-garde, surprising, and unexpected work – Orchestrion. Metheny plays alone, controlling a plethora of instruments through his guitar. The concept underpinning the album harks back to his childhood fascination with self-playing pianos, operated by rotating rolls that struck the hammers, allowing the keys to “self-percuss.”
The underlying idea of the album is to control, via the guitar, the entire musical universe of the Pat Metheny Group, creating a full spectrum of textures and timbres with a single musician and a single instrument. This project reveals the eccentricity and experimentalism of a guitarist and composer who has explored a vast range of musical landscapes, performance styles, and instruments, constantly creating new ideas. The unexpected nature of his work has made him a musician in perpetual evolution, blending musical styles, and creating intense anticipation for what is yet to come.
Pat Metheny has always been a step ahead of reality – a musician ahead of his time, rooted in the traditions and customs of contemporary and progressive jazz, folk and country, pop and rock, classical and avant-garde. Metheny blended everything – time and space – giving us access to a world that exists in the imaginary universe of our daily lives.
Forty years later, he continues to innovate and fuse elements. When it seems all has been said, Pat collaborates with John Zorn on The Book of Angels. His latest project, Unity Band, embodies this very concept: unity. Unity of people, cultures, and experiences. Unity of concepts, aesthetics, and musical forms. Metheny seems to suggest that everything is interconnected, both at micro and macro levels.
The Unity Band represents the life and work of Pat Metheny gathered at a single point. It is the Pat Metheny Group plus solo work, collaborations, Orchestrion, jazz standards, original compositions, and suites – a whole that renews, evolves, and continues to surprise audiences.
Pat Metheny is a clear synonym for inspiration, creation, and innovation to see, hear, and (re)discover. What comes next?
Selected Discography
Solo: One Quiet Night (2003); Orchestrion (2010)
Collaborations: with Ornette Coleman, Song X (1986); with John Scofield, I Can See Your House From Here (1996); with Charlie Haden, Beyond the Missouri Sky (1997); with Jim Hall, Jim Hall & Pat Metheny (1999); with Gary Burton and Chick Corea, Like Minds (1999); with Brad Mehldau, Metheny/Mehldau (2006) and Metheny/Mehldau Quartet (2007)
Trios: Bright Size Life (1976) with Jaco Pastorius and Billy Higgins; Rejoicing (1993) with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins; Question and Answer (1990) with Dave Holland and Roy Haynes; Trio 99-00 and Trio Live 99-00 with Larry Grenadier and Bill Stewart; Day Trip (2009) with Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez
Pat Metheny Group: Pat Metheny Group (1978); American Garage (1979); Travels (1983); First Circle (1984); Still Life Talking (1987); Letter From Home (1989); The Road to You (1993); We Live Here (1995); Quartet (1996); Imaginary Day (1997); Speaking of Now (2002); The Way Up (2005)