Speaking of CDs, I would like to see more out-of-print titles reissued. Granted, CD product is not the most viable distribution option in 2022, but I suspect a number of Metheny fans are the types of consumers that still enjoy physical product. I have been able to secure a number of his titles on CD format, but there are a few releases that remain out of print.
I didn't get to my first show until 1983. They were playing several unnamed tunes that ended up on The First Circle.
Not sure which albums are out of print? Maybe some of the Geffen titles? I think all of the ECMs have always been in print. I didn't bother picking up his last studio album and I don't have Trio '99 or the solo acoustic albums but I have everything else.
The ECM stuff of Pat's is pretty easy to find. Some of the Geffen stuff seems harder to find. I wish ECM would repress some vinyl of the early Group albums myself. Seems hard to find clean copies of those now.
One nice thing is that owners of ECM records often took good care of them, so when I got back into vinyl after a long time away, I was able to snag a lot of the Pat ECM stuff in clean, like-new condition, for very low cost (thank you PREX).
I have seen a LOT of PMG shows (obviously not anymore). He'd do a long initial set of, say 40 minutes. Then say hi, talk about the songs they did. Chat some more, then start playing again. That interlude could last 10 minutes. Then he'd do another long set. Go over the songs they did in the second set. Introduce the group. Introduce the "last" piece they were going to do. Do it, then leave. And then come back for two or three more pieces. The shows usually lasted about 2 hours and 15-20 minutes in all.
Saw Pat a couple of weeks ago in austin, small theatre, 300 seats, and he was superb. Still has it. Trio set up, keyboard, drums and Pat. 2 hour set, a joy to see and hear.
Ha...well, yes, he's 'only' 67 but he set such a high standard at a young age that I suppose I'm saying he's still amazing and being off the road for a bit has not hindered him.
Thanks Jimbino. I have never heard of anyone so consumed with music and nothing but music as Pat. A truly unique individual.
Not sure how I didn't find this thread until now. Let me begin by saying that Pat Metheny is one of my favorite musicians of all time. Lyle Mays is up there, as well. Such a gorgeous pianist and keyboardist. While not as prolific as Pat, or piano contemporaries such as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, etc... I feel he made the most of the few albums he released solo and with Pat Metheny Group, by releasing consistently strong material. I've listened to the entire canon of Pat and Lyle so many times over the years, including most of their work as sidemen over the years, and unlike other artists, I never get tired of hearing the sounds they created. The best stuff for me is just about anything from the Gary Burton years in the mid 70s, Bright Size Life (1976) through Secret Story (1992), The Road To You (1993) and We Live Here (1995), with my absolute favorite albums mainly being from the 80s and early 90s, with my all time favorite album being Still Life (Talking) from 1987. There is some great, beautiful music after the early-mid 90s , but there was some kind of special magic going on from around 1980-1992 or so. The Way Up (2005) is one of my favorite releases, and is a big album that rewards repeated listens. I didn't really get the whole piece until years after I first heard it, not long after its release, outside of the main theme, which is beautiful. Pat's guitar tone has evolved over time, and it's always been good, but I always enjoyed it most in the 80s and 90s work. Pat's recent albums have been like a rebirth. I wasn't the biggest fan of his last few albums with Chris Potter and the Unity albums, they were a bit dry and cold sounding, and Potter's blaring sax irritates me sometimes; Pat's other work with Cuong Vu and Logan Richardson around the same time were not much different. Interesting albums, a little bit different for Pat, but I'm glad he's moved on from that era. To me, From This Place (2020) is Pat rediscovering what made his music so great in the 80s and 90s, with gorgeous, memorable melodies, but with the dense compositions of later works like The Way Up with the richness and power of an orchestra, like on Secret Story. The newest album "Side Eye NYC V1.IV" is another winner, with half the album containing original material, and it even has some flashes of 'classic fusion' here and there, which is rare in Pat's discography. Anyway, here's hoping for another new album this year, as I read one time that Pat had at least half a dozen recorded/completed albums sitting on the shelf during the 2015-2019 dry spell of new Pat recordings.
Such a fanstatic body of work As states above, Side Eye NYC, Vol 1 is superb. With such a huge catalog, wonder if we would ever see a box set?
I love Pat and have seen him live in probably around 50 different shows and settings. He's a true giant of modern music for sure. I've enjoyed all of Pat's projects however I'd like to hear him again in the company of people who are truly his peers as opposed to many of the talented players he has been using for a while now primarily. I miss hearing him back to back with Brecker, Hancock or Scofield going toe to toe (I suppose Potter was the closest to that in recent years) and hope something along those lines happens again at some point. In any case, what an individual voice Pat has both as a composer and as an improvisor.
He had a lot of great projects like that, such as the Parallel Realities stuff from the early 90s, with Jack DeJohnette, and Herbie Hancock, along with Dave Holland on the live release; or Like Minds with Burton, Corea, Holland, and Roy Haynes. He seems to be enjoying the role of old master surrounded by young, hungry, up-and-coming artists; like Miles Davis from the mid-60s, 70s and 80s. I would be interested in having some of the stuff he did with Ron Carter recently see an official release some day.
4 years ago I got to see him at The Blue Note inNYC. Even though I had seen him in the 80s at Radio City Music Hall, sitting at the bar while seeing him in this little club was an amazing experience.
Nice post. But you don't mention Tap, his album of John Zorn's work. It's extraordinary, and one of my favorite albums of Pat's.
I'm surprised Metheny doesn't offer more live material to fans via downloads or the occasional physical release. The Side Eye CD was nice but not enough after several years of not releasing much material. But it seems that even at his age he's more interested in making his money by touring extensively.
I mean, there's a lot of albums I didn't mention. I like that album, definitely a unique one in the Pat canon. Not one I throw on as regularly as something like Offramp, but a good one to throw on for something different from Pat, even if he didn't write the music. Interestingly, though there's been a lot of live video/DVDs released, there's only been a small handful of live ALBUMS released by Pat or PMG. I wish there was official audio for what's been released on video/DVD, as I tend to listen much more often than watch. This reminds me, I bought the Imaginary Day live DVD in the past year or so and never watched it. I will remedy that soon, hopefully.
Metheny has spoken at length about the recording industry not being hospitable for him in recent years and mused about not producing virtually any recorded material for quite a while. So we're fortunate to have anything from him at all in recorded format in a sense.
I don't spend money on DVDs. They are not portable so I can't listen to them in my car. And there is already a huge amount of video on YouTube. I want audio releases. And I know Pat has a huge collection of live recordings he could tap into that his fans would purchase if he had a site like Crimson's DGM.
Oh he's definitely in the role of master surrounded by talented younger players and I appreciate it but as much as I enjoy it, it's very different from collaborating with Brecker, Mays, Scofield, Corea etc. And frankly with the exception of Potter and with all due respect, there's a HUGE drop-off in recent years when Metheny finishes telling a story on the bandstand in my estimation. He has spoken about how difficult it is to follow Brecker on stage and the same is true with Pat. I still see Pat every chance I have but I long for a musical interlocutor more on his level.
He's not signed to any label. He only works with the big labels for distribution. He owns his master tapes and licenses the albums to the labels. But he could market product directly to his fans but probably doesn't want to oversee an operation like that.
I'm very impressed with James Francies. He made that recent trio sound contemporary and brilliant. Potter can get a bit annoying playing so many notes. I prefer more lyricism. Same problem with Brecker as great as his was.
