The greatest musicians have a distinct, instantly recognizable sound. That’s hardly news, but it’s an important notion to keep in mind when discussing Pat Metheny. As the guitarist cruises through his sixth decade as a professional music maker, his vibe remains essentially the same as it did in the first. The music he writes always uses sixties jazz guitar (think Jim Hall and Joe Pass) as its foundation, but adds structures derived from folk music, Brazilian music, seventies singer/songwriter pop, and non-bombastic progressive rock, decorating them all with other sounds he comes across and digs. His electric guitar tone is one of the most easily discernable in music: clean, warm, expertly picked, able to run up and down the fretboard at high speed, but more likely to choose the right note at the right time. His production style cuts through the processed haze that engulfs so many other albums, while still taking advantage of studio magic when it makes sense. This is a musician you clock within seconds of hearing a few notes.
Metheny has played in many contexts: stripped down guitar trios, acoustic solos, the highly arranged and sonically expansive Pat Metheny Group. But his vision always comes through clearly, no matter what the context. So it is with his new outfit Side-Eye on Side-Eye III+, the second album from this project. The core of the band is drummer Joe Dyson and keyboardist Chris Fishman, joined here by bassist Daryl Johns, harpist Brandee Younger, percussionist Luis Conte, and a small choir adding the wordless vocal textures of which Metheny is so fond. Familiar Metheny elements abound – check out the Latin-tinged pulse driving “Se-O”, the meditative acoustic guitar melody of “Our Old Street,” the lush and open arrangement of “Don’t Look Down,” the singular, spiraling guitar solos pretty much everywhere. But, as always when he embarks on a new project, Metheny also drops a few twists, like the gospel feel of “Urban and Western” (guest-starring former Side-Eyeball James Francies on organ), or the way the wistful feel of “Risk and Reward” evolves into an elegiac shapeshifting epic.
Another important element in the makeup of the giants is how they can put their unique aesthetic into any context, giving their sound a fresh coat of paint while keeping the chassis intact and humming. Metheny is an expert at this, and Side-Eye III+ – rhythmically stylish, sonically superb, melodically excellent – is a great example of why he belongs in the gallery of musical greats.
