Decades of being a jazz guitar icon doesn’t seem to have dimmed Pat Metheny’s drive to undertake new challenges. It would have been a logical move to make second consecutive record with his stimulating new quartet. They surely would have built on the real-time revelation of From This Place and we would have all heaped more praise on Metheny for that. But, no, Pat doesn’t care much for standing pat.
His next project Road to the Sun places him in entirely different spot. Metheny composed two, multi-sectioned suites for classical guitars, one that pits the Grammy winner against another Grammy winner Jason Vieaux and the other one with Grammy winners Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.
The video on top plays the second section of that title suite with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and as this is actually chamber music and not jazz, you won’t find much improvisation here. What you will find is the beautiful uplifting resonance that the acoustic guitar is capable of, especially in capable hands of five elite practitioners of the instrument.
When I hear what I believe are Pat Metheny’s parts, I’m reminded of various times he’s made side trips down this path over the years (New Chautauqua, Beyond The Missouri Sky, etc.). But to follow along with the winding but logical progression of just this single section of a song and it’s clear that the extended form composition style seen more often in Metheny’s ‘later’ (i.e., 21st century) period is present, too.
Tying this song to certain points in the vast, rich history of Pat Metheny’s musical career is fun, but is in no way required to enjoy this music. Though part of a much larger piece of music, “Road to the Sun Pt. 2” stands on its own as a testament to the beauty of classical guitars put in the service of a sumptuous arrangement.
Road to the Sun is slated for release March 5, 2021 from BMG Modern Recordings. Pre-order your copy right here or from Amazon below.
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