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Pat Metheny Trio Festival Theatre, Wed 8 March There's little doubt that American guitarist Pat Metheny occupies a truly unique position in contemporary jazz. Equally home in the fields of bop, fusion and 'new age', Metheny has continued to push boundaries and win awards since he commenced recording and touring with the likes of Gary Burton, Ornette Coleman, Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius back in the 'seventies. In fact, this guy won the Grammy for contemporary jazz seven years in a row and has just collected yet another for the brilliantly eclectic 'The Way Up'. In adopting a stance whereby his guitars did most of the talking, Metheny - together with Christian McBride (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums) - presented one of the finest jazz concerts that I've experienced. During a generous set that lasted over two hours without interval, the current Pat Metheny Trio (together since 2003) presented a wide ranging set taking in hard bop, soft bossa nova, fusion, ballads and even the blues whilst showing sheer mastery over them all. Like Metheny, McBride and Sanchez are possibly the finest instrumentalists of their generation; yet each member gave equally in solos and support. Antonio Sanchez certainly is in the class of the young Tony Williams and Jack de Johnette and all was achieved with a kit built around the smallest kick-drum this side of Charlie Watts; whilst McBride (familiar to Adelaide audiences through his recent work with Lalo Schifrin, James Morrison and the ASO) has made a huge number of recordings with the best. Commencing with an improvised, arpeggiated improvisation worthy of Keith Jarrett on Baritone guitar, Metheny was truly astonishing with his facility on a harp/guitar before moving onto a more familiar archtop and a solid bodied guitar synth. Material covered ran from the familiar Last Train Home amd James, to several as yet unnamed compositions that included a touching memorial to those affected by the Delta tragedy. The highlights - if it is possible to pick just one or two - lay in a truly awesome display of virtuosic musicianship in the 5/4 timed Question And Answer and a quietly smouldering steel strung acoustic take on Horace Silver's Lonely Woman. Rather surprisingly, nothing was featured from Metheny's latest Grammy winner 'The Way Up'. Let's just hope that Metheny records this trio as I'm unwilling to wait another twenty years for a follow-up tour.  |
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