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Pat Metheny

 
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
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Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 4:17 am    Post subject: Pat Metheny Reply with quote

I talked with Guthrie about quite a few guitarists and he loves many, but the one that made him shake his head in awe and reverence was Pat Metheny. Guthrie told me that he had seen Metheny in concert recently and he just shook his head in disbelief. Guthrie mentioned that it was the way the music just flowed out so freely from Metheny that he found so awe-inspiring and impressive and he talked as though he still has ways to go before he can reach that sort of a level.

Metheny has always been one of my top 3 or 4 favorites since the mid-80's. I was totally into Yngwie and MacAlpine at the time and my kid sister told me that she had two tickets to a Pat Metheny concert at the Irvine Meadows Ampitheatre. She was supposed to go see the concert with her boyfriend but she said something came up and they couldn't go so she asked if I'd like to go see Metheny with a friend.

Well, I was like, "Metheny??? Doesn't he play this happy poppy jazz kind of a thing???" Confused I wasn't all that enthusiastic about it, but since the tickets were free, I thought, well, what I have got to lose but a few hours? Laughing So I take along a buddy who's also into the Yngwie trip and we skeptically go to the show. And then we see all this smartly dressed yuppie crowd and we're thinking, "Man, you people don't know what real guitar playing is all about... And what's with all these girls and women???" Rolling Eyes We were rolling our eyes to the seats.

And the show starts... And it's: Woah!!! Shocked And then, OMG! Shocked Beautifully melodic music that was mellow, intense, sophisticated, obviously very difficult yet still hummable and easy to follow, and the guitar playing was just... incredible! And the solos were long, I mean, Grateful Dead or Allman Brothers long, but not boring or endlessly drawn out like a jam session. These solos were more like compositions over very fast-moving tricky changes and odd time signatures, but not jagged like King Crimson or anything like that. Well-dressed middle-aged couples next to us just sat back and listened like they were enjoying a symphony while we Yngwie freaks had our jaws on the floor going, "Man, what have we been missing all this time???" Shocked Rolling Eyes Laughing

That concert totally changed me and really got me looking at guitar playing and listening in a different way. I'm still a rock guy at heart, but Pat Metheny is the one I would rate as the greatest all-around musician and composer and improvisor who happens to play the guitar. I've seen him a half-dozen times more since and his concerts are the most memorable and spectacular musically. I'd get these great seats to watch him play and the music itself is just so good that I would close my eyes to really get into and listen to the music. For me, if you asked me to name my three personal favorite: it'd be Guthrie, of course, and Metheny and Jeff Beck.
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kirk95
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Joined: 09 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can remember a cold January day in Boston's Back Bay back in 1979. I am sitting trying to warm my hands up and waiting for my guitar lesson with my teacher at Berklee. Then this guy with this huge smile and long kinky hair walks buy..... yes you guessed it was Pat Metheny.

He did a couple of clinics while I was at Berklee and totally blew everybody away including all the teachers there. Pat could do Wes like you never heard... Even then he clearly had his own voice!

He use to gig around Boston all the time and I caught him every time I could! Been a huge fan ever since!!

Fell asleep last night with Trio 2000 in the headphones!! Very Happy
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kirk95 wrote:
I can remember a cold January day in Boston's Back Bay back in 1979. I am sitting trying to warm my hands up and waiting for my guitar lesson with my teacher at Berklee. Then this guy with this huge smile and long kinky hair walks buy..... yes you guessed it was Pat Metheny.

He did a couple of clinics while I was at Berklee and totally blew everybody away including all the teachers there. Pat could do Wes like you never heard... Even then he clearly had his own voice!

He use to gig around Boston all the time and I caught him every time I could! Been a huge fan ever since!!

Fell asleep last night with Trio 2000 in the headphones!! Very Happy


That's the thing about Pat: his unmistakable individual voice despite the staggering variety of musical genres that he traverses. He's just one of those guys you simply can't imitate and it's not really the chops factor. It's his unique style and voice.
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thing



Joined: 12 Sep 2004
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Location: Lincoln UK

PostPosted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm another Pat fan, also JB. Strange how those two seem to go together for a lot of people and really I suppose they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. What they both have in spades though IMO is musicality. Yes, Metheny has the chops and ability but he makes music, as does Jeff. That's what is so important to me, I don't want to hear technical virtuosity, I want to hear composition, I want to hear music. If it involves virtuosity then so be it, but it's just a sideline to gettting the music out to me.

Also Alex hits it on the head when he talks about voices. Play me 3 notes of Metheny or Beck and you know instantly who is playing.
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Carlo



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what album would you guys recommend?

sorry guys, I'm not too familiar with his work Embarassed

though I know he's a fantastic player, just never got around to delving into work
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Carlo wrote:
what album would you guys recommend?

sorry guys, I'm not too familiar with his work Embarassed

though I know he's a fantastic player, just never got around to delving into work


Geez, his catalogue is so vast that even Metheny fans will debate and argue over which of his stuff they like and don't like, etc. From his mainstay Pat Metheny Group material which covers modern jazz, pop, rock, fusion with occasional modern classical underpinnings, to more traditional mainstream jazz outings with Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Jaco Pastorious, Joshua Redman, Kenny Garrett, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, etc., to totally out there avant-garde free jazz outings with the likes of Ornette Coleman and Derek Bailey, to backing pop/rock legends like Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Bruce Hornsby, etc., to working with a modern classical composer like Steve Reich and doing soundtrack work, Metheny is a true giant in modern contemporary music.

Even the PMG material alone covers a vast repertoire that has evolved over 20 years, so it's really hard for me to recommend just one or two. Like I said, it comes down to personal taste even within the Metheny circles. Personally, I really like the late-80's era stuff because that's when I first discovered him and the albums from that era has a distinctive Latin/Brazilian flavor rhythmically. "Still Life (Talking)" has two of the quintessential Metheny tunes: "Minuano" and "Third Wind". I'd say that album is "safe" start although "Letter From Home" is really good as well. The early-80's era's great album, IMO, is "Offramp".

For the early stuff, "Bright Size Life" is a must-have. It's a trio format with Metheny, Jaco on bass, and drummer Bob Moses. For the more recent PMG stuff, I'd recommend "We Live Here" and "Imaginary Day". Another favorite of mine is the acoustic duet album he did with Charlie Haden on bass called "Beyond the Missouri Sky". It's Pat just on acoustic (both nylon-string and steel-string but mainly on the nylon for the melody lines and soloing) and Haden on an upright acoustic. Truly beautiful and the kind of stuff that will impress your significant other when you want to get romantic. Wink

For more mainstream jazz stuff, again this covers a vast repertoire as well, but the "80/81" is a really good start. The Joshua Redman album "Wish" is also great. "Rejoicing" with Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums is also something to check out as well in a trad jazz context.

Do some research on Amazon and you'll get some idea, but I think PMG is the place to start if you're not really a jazz guy yet. Best wishes because getting into him now may be somewhat daunting, but once you discover him, there is no turning back! Truly an incredible musician with so much beautiful music to offer.
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Carlo



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wow, thanks! that's one of the reasons why I never got into his work....his catalogue is so vast, I didn't know where to start.


Thanks for the insight Ed!
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought of something else that makes Metheny's style so unique and virtually inimitable. And I also think it applies to Guthrie's style as well: slipperiness. I remember Guthrie mentioning at the clinic how the title to his song, "Wonderful and Slippery Thing" came about. John Stix at the Guitarist for the Practicing Musician magazine (now Guitar One) had mentioned to Guthrie that he's a "wonderful slippery player" and that Guthrie didn't know quite to make of term "slippery" and that it must be some continental divide kind of a thing that he couldn't quite grasp.

Well, I think I know exactly what it means. It's the ability to slip in and around time and not playing on the beat constantly. I think it's almost one of those things that you're either born with or not and players who have that quality in their playing are really difficult to imitate. Metheny really has that quality in spades that's instantly recognizable. To me, Metheny's lines are watery, like a swiftly flowing stream down the mountain side. The water flows over and around rocks, it doesn't hop over 'em. The same can be said of Metheny's lines if the rocks are the beats. They are very fluid, but not in a Holdsworthian legato type of way, but in the way the notes just flow within and around the rhythmic structure of the music being performed. To me, it's one of the most interesting and recognizable aspects of Metheny's style.
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Gojirosan



Joined: 12 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 12:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is to my considerable shame that the only Metheny with which I am familiar is the Steve Reich piece "Electric Counterpoint".

I must amend this...

...what do you recommend to a man not scared of extremes of sound!

Laughing
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Donnie B.



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've told this story over in the Shawn thread but I'll repeat it here.

My wife and I stayed at this swank hotel downtown Saturday night to celebrate our 21st. Anyway, got hammered in the lounge, got back to the room, and had one of them mindless drunken arguments. She went to bed mad and I went into the other room and turned on the TV. It was about 1:00 in the morning. Switch thru the channels and BAM!! Pat Metheny and I think Lyle Mays doing an Austin City Limits show! I'd never seen Pat play before and had only a very little exposure to his albums years ago.

1. It was so incredibly good and musical and I enjoyed it immensly!

2. Crazy the way he wraps his thumb around the neck like that!

3. Talk about guitar faces If there's a prize to give out Pat gets it.

Anyone know if this show is out on DVD????
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 4:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gojirosan wrote:
It is to my considerable shame that the only Metheny with which I am familiar is the Steve Reich piece "Electric Counterpoint".

I must amend this...

...what do you recommend to a man not scared of extremes of sound!

Laughing


Well, an above post of mine recommends some albums to the uninitiated. There are nearly 100 albums out there that feature Metheny to a great extent - as a leader and as a sideman. Here are my recommendations to the Metheny beginners in a more easy to read organized manner:

Pat Metheny Group -

Still Life (Talking) (1987)
We Live Here (1995)
Letter From Home (1989)
Offramp (1982)
Speaking Of Now (2002)
Imaginary Day (1997)
First Circle (1984)

Straight-Ahead Jazz -

80/81 (1981) With Michael Brecker, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden...
Rejoicing (1983) With Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins
Like Minds (1998) with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes

Jazz Sideman Projects -

Wish (1993) for Joshua Redman
Pursuance - The Music of John Coltrane (1996) for Kenny Garrett

Special Jazz-Oriented Projects -

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny - Beyond the Missouri Sky (1997)
Jim Hall & Pat Metheny (1999)

OUT THERE -

Song X (1985) with Ornette Coleman

There are dozens more great albums but I think this would be a good start.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 4:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thing wrote:
I'm another Pat fan, also JB. Strange how those two seem to go together for a lot of people and really I suppose they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. What they both have in spades though IMO is musicality. Yes, Metheny has the chops and ability but he makes music, as does Jeff. That's what is so important to me, I don't want to hear technical virtuosity, I want to hear composition, I want to hear music. If it involves virtuosity then so be it, but it's just a sideline to gettting the music out to me.

Also Alex hits it on the head when he talks about voices. Play me 3 notes of Metheny or Beck and you know instantly who is playing.


Yeah, and both love each other's playing as well. Pat always mentions JB as one of his few favorites in the rock idiom while JB was quoted saying about Metheny: "He's so good that he needs to have his fingers broken!" Laughing
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clovis



Joined: 15 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was lucky enough to win tickets to his Austin CIty Limits taping in 2002. I live in Waco which isn't too far of a drive. I couldn't believe I was actually going to see him play. My finacee and I drove down the evening of and let me tell you...I'll never forget it.

AFter we got into the main room where the show is taped everyone was standing around....They had free beer outside this room and I had stocked up and was drinking them down when all of the sudden something occured to me. I realized that Eric Johnson not only lives in Austin...but is a huge Metheny fan...and has played on Austin City Limits about 5 times. I start scanning the bleachers looking for him and I found him right off the bat when I turned around. I went up to him and met him. He's the nicest guy and was extremely polite.

Anwyays, the show started and I was in heaven. At this point I had been into jazz/fusion for about a year and only recently in that time a Metheny fan as well. The best part of the evening (for me) was when Pat, Richard Bona, and Antonio Sanchez in trio format did two run-throughs of Bright Size Life. Bona really showed his bass ability and Metheny played the best solos on them.

What SUCKS is that when I saw the taping on TV they left out the best parts of the night and didn't air any of Pat's work on the 42 string guitar. The crowed was in awe when he played this thing. It was a night to remember.....

John R.
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alexkhan



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The last time I saw Pat was when he was doing the Imaginary Day tour back in '98 and he started out the show on that Pikasso 42-string guitar. That was amazing and showed another aspect of Metheny that few people really know about. It's obvious that he's always been a big Michael Hedges fan.
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