Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny was born in Kansas City on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of 8, Metheny switched to guitar at age 12. By the age of 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, receiving valuable on-the-bandstand experience at an unusually young age. Metheny first burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974. Over the course of his three-year stint with vibraphone great Gary Burton, the young Missouri native already displayed his soon-to-become trademarked playing style, which blended the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility - a way of playing and improvising that was modern in conception but grounded deeply in the jazz tradition of melody, swing, and the blues. With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), he reinvented the traditional "jazz guitar" sound for a new generation of players. Throughout his career, Pat Metheny has continued to re-define the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument. METHENY'S versatility is almost nearly without peer on any instrument. Over the years, he has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman to Herbie Hancock to Jim Hall to Milton Nascimento to David Bowie. Metheny's body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras, and ballet pieces, with settings ranging from modern jazz to rock to classical.

As well as being an accomplished musician, Metheny has also participated in the academic arena as a music educator. At 18, he was the youngest teacher ever at the University of Miami. At 19, he became the youngest teacher ever at the Berklee College of Music, where he also received an honorary doctorate more than twenty years later (1996). He has also taught music workshops all over the world, from the Dutch Royal Conservatory to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz to clinics in Asia and South America. He has also been a true musical pioneer in the realm of electronic music, and was one of the very first jazz musicians to treat the synthesizer as a serious musical instrument. Years before the invention of MIDI technology, Metheny was using the Synclavier as a composing tool. He has also been instrumental in the development of several new kinds of guitars such as the soprano acoustic guitar, the 42-string Pikasso guitar, Ibanez's PM-100 jazz guitar, and a variety of other custom instruments. He took the whole instrument development process into a different level with his mechanical, solenoid driven Orchestrion.

Pat Metheny at the Kaufmann Concert Hall

by Chris DeRosa
April 12, 2024

Pat Metheny Kaufmann Concert Hall (The 92nd Street Y) Pat Metheny's “Dream Box Tour" New York, NYApril 7, 2024 Hello, my name is Chris DeRosa and this is what I heard... Pat Metheny has been at the forefront of jazz guitar for more than 40 years. His career started way back in his University of Miami days (1972), first as a student performing with the famed Concert Jazz Band (CJB) and then ...

Live Review

Pat Metheny At The Paramount Theatre

by Steven Roby
October 18, 2023

Pat MethenyParamount TheatreDenver, ColoradoOctober 15, 2023 Award-winning jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny embarked on a 51-venue, 29-state solo tour supporting his 2023 Dream Box recording. At jny: Denver's Paramount Theatre, loyal fans lined up early for the sold-out show, and it was elbow-to-elbow for the next two hours in the 1800-seat venue. Metheny's tour allows him to be a solo performer, playing tunes from his solo record catalog and--wait for it--engaging ...

Interview

Fabrizio De André secondo Luigi Viva

by Libero Farnè
October 9, 2023

Numerose sono state le interviste che ho effettuato negli ultimi decenni: ovviamente a molti jazzisti, dai maestri assoluti ai giovani emergenti, ma anche a danzatori, artisti, attori, compositori di musica contemporanea... Ho ritenuto utile inoltre dedicare una serie di interviste ai direttori artistici di importanti festival jazz, italiani e stranieri. È questa la prima volta però che mi trovo ad intervistare uno scrittore e critico musicale, per certi versi un collega se non fosse per il fatto ...

Radio & Podcasts

Loop Doctors, John Escreet, John Hadfield and Pat Metheny

by Len Davis
June 30, 2023

Funky fusion from the Loop Doctors led by Hungarian drummer Peter Szendofi, Unit 1 with bassist Mark Egan, pianist John Escreet and drummer John Hadfield. Saxophonist Adam Larson and the Jimi Prasad Orchestra with trumpeter Avishai Cohen. Ollie Usiskin from Trio Zone and the new one from Pat Metheny Dream Box. The new single from J3PO with Hadrien Feraud. Playlist Loop Doctors “Three 4 Free" from Entering A Room (KCG) 00:00 Unit 1 “Epistrophy" from Unit 1 (Wavetone) ...

Album Review

Pat Metheny: Dream Box

Read "Dream Box" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski

by Nenad Georgievski
June 22, 2023

Guitarist Pat Metheny pushes the boundaries of musical exploration once again with Dream Box, Featuring nine “found tracks" for the quiet electric guitar, this collection showcases Metheny's spontaneous creativity and unique musical vision. During a deep dive into his own musical archives, Metheny unearthed a folder on his laptop's hard drive containing forgotten recordings that surprised even him. As a result, Dream Box takes a departure from his previous works, presenting a blend of compositions that captures the essence of ...

Building a Jazz Library

ECM Records Touchstones: Part 1

by Dan McClenaghan
January 25, 2023

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Every album ever released by ECM Records would be readily available in a better world. But that, understandably, is not the case. The German label, founded by Manfred Eicher—who still holds the helm—debuted in 1969 with pianist Mal Waldron's Free At Last. In the ensuing five-plus decades, the Edition of Contemporary Music (ECM) has made the world a better place, releasing well over 1,700 albums. The label is often said ...

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Readers Poll Results

Your Favorite Living Jazz Guitarists

by Michael Ricci
December 1, 2022

All About Jazz member votes were tabulated and this list represents our favorite living jazz guitarists. Fully transparent and easily verifiable, All About Jazz's living guitarists poll was conducted during the 2022 calendar year running from May 3rd to November 30th. We would like to thank every member who participated in creating this impressive list (200 total!) for the next generation of jazz enthusiasts to discover. Note: This list represents the top vote-getters. Hundreds of guitarists received votes, ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Festival

Pat Metheny Side-Eye To Headline Opening Night At CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival

Source: Dalmath Associates Inc.
December 20, 2022

The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is proud to present the legendary Pat Metheny on opening night June 23, 2023, at the festival's 20th-anniversary edition June 23 to July 1, 2023, in downtown Rochester, NY. The concert will be held at 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Tickets for Pat Metheny Side-Eye are $83 / $73 / $63 / $43 + $7 service charges and are on sale now only at rochesterjazz.com. Pat Metheny, voted Guitarist of the ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Recording

John Pizzarelli Plays Pat Metheny

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 21, 2021

This album shouldn't work. One superb artist recording the music of another usually happens many years after the subject has passed away. But John Pizzarelli's new album, Better Days Ahead: Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny, works beyond your wildest dreams. It's as if John said to himself, “Why not now?" And he's right. The idea of taking on Metheny's compositions and doing so alone is about as beautiful a tribute as one can imagine. Add the fact that John ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2020

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2019

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Place our Musician ...
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Website

All About Jazz Celebrates the NEA Jazz Masters

Source: All About Jazz
December 17, 2018

All About Jazz, home to largest database of jazz musicians on the internet, now recognizes the NEA Jazz Masters on a dedicated page as well as on the recipient's musician page (example). 145 musicians have been honored since 1982 and they are all identified and accessible from the All About Jazz musician section by clicking “NEA Jazz Masters" in the “View by" dropdown box. The 2018 NEA Jazz Masters are: Joanne Brackeen: Pianist, Composer, Educator Pat Metheny: Guitarist, Composer, Educator ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Pat Metheny

Source: Michael Ricci
August 12, 2018

All About Jazz is celebrating Pat Metheny's birthday today!

Place our Musician ...
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Festival

Umbria Jazz 2018 In Perugia From July 13-22: Celebrating 45 Years Of Jazz In Italy And Beyond

Source: All About Jazz
May 28, 2018

Not many festivals have had the kind of impact that Umbria Jazz has had on the musical history of a country and on its social history as well. When it started out in 1973, Umbria Jazz was simply an attempt to combine the passion of a group of jazz lovers with the needs of a region that wanted to promote its riches. No one could have imagined the importance that the festival would later acquire on the music scene both ...
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Recent Releases

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson