Here’s the way it usually works. The end of the year draws closer, and all of the music publications and websites release their “best of” lists. This is almost always followed by various rants about how the lists are “too safe,” “predictable,” or “pretentious.” You May Also Like: Of AllRead More

One night back in the late 1970s, me and my cousin Andy were playing a game of backgammon (cripes, that really was a long time ago … I remember there was a Styx Grand Illusion poster on the wall You May Also Like: Why Pat Metheny’s ‘New Chautauqua’ Still ProvidesRead More

I’ve listened to the side-long title track of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’ As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, oh, maybe just a couple of times in the last twenty years. You May Also Like: Lyle Mays (1953-2020): An Appreciation Lyle Mays, “Eberhard” (2021): One Track Mind

by Mark Saleski There’s a single reason for me owning this disc: Kurt Elling’s cover of Pat Metheny’s “Minuano (Six Eight),” from Still Life (Talking). You May Also Like: Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight” (1981): On Second Thought The La De Da’s, Blue Stars and others – How IsRead More

I like a good guitar solo as much as the next guy, but given a choice between a display of fretboard pyrotechnics vs. something with a little more soul, I’ll always gravitate to the latter. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, “You Are” from ‘From This Place’ (2019): One TrackRead More

by Mark Saleski Many artists, when asked to pick a favorite from their own discography, will lean toward their most recent release. Sure, I can see that. You work on new material, it’s fresh and exiting, and right there in the front of your mind. I’ve wondered what Pat Metheny’sRead More

by Mark Saleski Much like those pointless negative reviews where the writer (read: attacker) has never liked the band in question, I sometimes wonder if maybe it’s just not right to go on about my favorite artists. Let’s face it, I own just about every recording Pat Metheny has everRead More

by Mark Saleski Sorta like Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman’s Song X has long been a strange attractor for all sorts of hyperbole, rumor-mongering and dismissal. You May Also Like: Why You Should Give Pat Metheny’s ‘Rejoicing’ Another Listen Pat Metheny, May 16, 2019: ShowsRead More

If you were tasked with listing the influences of JazzGuitaristPatMetheny™, some good entries might be Four and More (Miles Davis), Ornette Coleman’s Something Else!!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist), and Smokin’ At The Half Note by the Wynton Kelly Trio with Wes Montgomery. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny – ‘Dream Box’Read More

On June 14th, guitarist Pat Metheny will release What’s It All About, an all-acoustic album that’s about as far as you can get, technologically speaking, from last year’s Orchestrion. You May Also Like: Pat Metheny, May 16, 2019: Shows I’ll Never Forget Pat Metheny Discovered Bold New Machine-Aided Freedoms WithRead More