The Pollak Theatre stage on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ is set this Tuesday, September 10, 2019 evening with a drum set, an organ, several synthesizers, and a collection of amps and guitars.
Behind the instruments, however, sits an oddly-shaped stack of equipment with a cloth covering, unusually noticeable because of its unconventional shape and large size.
Jazz lovers fill the theater — many wondering just what it is that’s hidden under that mysterious cloth — as they excitedly await the beginning of tonight’s presentation of Pat Metheny’s Side Eye.
Metheny, 65, a Grammy-winning guitar prodigy, is one of the most important musicians of the past 40 years. Not only is he a virtuoso on the traditional jazz guitar, he has been instrumental in the development of several new kinds of guitars including the soprano acoustic guitar, the 42-string Pikasso guitar, and the “Orchestrion,” a room-filled collection of musical instruments which play based on computerized instructions generated from Metheny’s single master electric guitar.
Metheny was born in Kansas City into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of eight, he switched to guitar when he turned 12; by the time he was 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in town. At 18, Metheny became the youngest teacher ever at the University of Miami; by the age of 19, he was hired as the youngest teacher ever at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Following a three-year stint with vibraphonist Gary Burton, Metheny reinvented the traditional “jazz guitar” sound for a new generation of players with a series of recordings starting with Bright Size Life, Pat Metheny Group, and American Garage. Over the years, he has won 20 Grammy awards in 12 different categories.
Currently, Metheny is touring in a new “playing environment” which he calls Side Eye.
Explains Metheny, “I wanted to create an ongoing setting to feature a rotating cast of new and upcoming musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way,” noting, “From my earliest days in Kansas City onward, I was the beneficiary of so many older musicians giving me a platform to develop my thing through the prism of their experience and the particular demands of what their music implied.”
Metheny enters the stage to cheers and applause from the crowd stating, “It’s great to be here in Jersey. It’s great to be back on the East Coast with all of you super hip people. I have with me two incredible musicians — please welcome to the bandstand Marcus Gilmore on drums and James Francies on piano and keyboards.”
The crowd enthusiastically applauds and Metheny and Co. open tonight’s Side Eye performance with the Ornette Coleman blues piece, “Turnaround.”
Metheny sits center stage making his hollow-body jazz guitar sing as his left hand dances up and down the fretboard and his right deftly picks the strings.
Once Gilmore joins in on the drums, Metheny plays a solo to great applause.
Francies enters on grand piano as Metheny plays chords. Beginning his solo sparsely, Francies soon plays rapid runs as his fingers flutter over the keys.
Then it’s back to Metheny for more golden guitar sounds before he hands the spotlight off to Gilmore on the drum kit, his sound rolling with precision and style as he skillfully works his way around the set with his skimming sticks.
The tune ends with avid hoots, hollers, and applause.
Following “So May It Secretly Begin” — a tune with an Afro-Cuban feel on which Francies straddles two keyboards as he plays, and Metheny awes center stage with his prodigious guitar chops — the crowd cheers when they recognize “Bright Size Life.”
Starting slow and mellow with solo guitar, blue lights illuminate the stage as Metheny performs with his eyes closed and Francies’ keyboard bass accompanies him while drums roll.
The arrangement builds in intensity and texture as Metheny bends his guitar strings eliciting avid applause from the crowd.
Handling the bass parts, Francies runs up and down the keyboard channeling the work of Metheny’s brilliant former bassist Jaco Pastorius, alternating soloing with his right and left hands to large applause.
The number ends with a Metheny guitar trill followed by a glorious final chord.
On the next number, “Always and Forever,” Metheny fingerpicks slowly and melodically as he temporarily holds his guitar pick between his teeth.
Playing pianissimo, the notes are barely audible as this gorgeous ballad softly steals from his guitar while Gilmore gently caresses the drums with brushes — swirling, tapping, and brushing whispers of sound — to accompany the exquisite strains emanating from Metheny’s expert fingers.
Francies’ left-handed keyboard bass plays low and steady while his right-handed grand piano part adds its voice at strategic times.
When Metheny needs to change the delicate timbre and mood ever so slightly, he reverts back to fingerpicking, a sign of of his masterful technique.
The audience listens with rapt attention, drawn into the beauty of this elegant performance before responding with enthusiastic cheers and applause.
On an upbeat and rhythmic cover of Ornette Coleman’s “The Good Life,” Gilmore plays with sticks on the rims of his drums as he taps out an upbeat solo. Metheny nods his head in agreement as he and Francies join in on the fun, synchronizing their strums and chords into the stream of rhythms coming from the trio which bring fervent cheers from the attentive crowd.
Under purple lights, Metheny starts a Latin-type strumming which elicits applause from members of this Jersey crowd on a slowed-down and soulful version of “Better Days Ahead.”
Playing softly and sweetly, Metheny alternates the timbre of his solo by hitting a swath of high notes on his guitar which he picks near the bridge.
Francies alternates with a sort of an organ sound, flickering quickly over the keys in a whirl of sound, the entire group sustaining on the final note.
Following warm applause, the group launches into Michael Brecker’s jazzy minor blues, “Timeline.”
Francies plays the Hammond organ on this number which rambles along as the three Side Eye musicians play side by side, each creating within singular musical worlds that magically meld together to create a cohesive piece of spirited music.
Playing with dynamics, the trio takes the song to church as heads bop in the audience to the infectious groove.
Francies’ organ solo features bright and rapid-fire playing before exploring chordal rhythms. Communicating musically with the guitar and drums, Metheny’s head bops to Francies’ organ playing prior to Metheny returning to solo himself, the arrangement building and crescendoing to an impressive conclusion.
Following a waltz — on which Francies plays keyboard bass while Metheny solos, and then Francies plays two-handed grand piano while Metheny plays bass and chords on his guitar to accompany him — Side Eye launches into a funky John Scofield/Pat Metheny creation, “The Red One.”
On this boisterous piece, the trio’s big sound draws the audience in with multiple layers and levels of vibrations to explore and enjoy.
Francies effortlessly plays again on two separate keyboards, his bass and synthesizer racing along with accelerated fingerings.
Metheny changes over to a guitar controller for his signature brassy guitar synth sound as he nods his head in agreement while wailing to the funky rhythm.
Audience members move to the groove in their seats — some drumming, some swaying, and some bopping along to the mountain of sound coming from these three musicians — as the conclusion of this exhilarating performance brings applause and cheers from the crowd.
The audience continues to hoot and holler and Metheny acknowledges the exceptional contributions of Francies and Gilmore.
At this point, Metheny switches over to acoustic guitar and sits solo center stage for “Message to a Friend.” In sharp contrast to the previous number, the sound rings out softly, clearly, and melodiously on this gentle ballad with an exquisite melodic line before Gilmore’s drums gently enter and Francies’ keyboard bass adds its low voice.
A single spotlight on each musician helps to illuminate the intimacy of this rich-toned jewel, shining and shimmering before this enlightened audience. The mood and emotion flows through these talented musicians creating a sound force filled with life and soul.
A communal sharing like this — intimate and connecting — can only happen through live performance. The joy of the music can clearly be seen on Metheny’s face as he ends the piece smiling with satisfaction.
Metheny takes to the microphone to exclaim, “Not a whole lot of talking going on here! In the recent past, I played older tunes in different ways, knowing I would get these two musicians. Next, we have 40 minutes of new music which are broken up into three ‘Things.’ We’ll play them now, and I hope you all like them. Here we go!”
“Thing #1” is a space-age sounding piece on which Metheny uses his hollow body jazz guitar and Francies plays more intricate keyboard parts while Gilmore rides the cymbals.
As the trio begins to stretch out, a stagehand removes the cloth covering the large stack of equipment behind the performers to reveal a mini version of Metheny’s invention — the Orchestrion. This smaller version of the room-filling Orchestrion contains actual instruments like orchestral bells, drums, tambourine, and more which can be robotically triggered by Metheny’s guitar or sequenced in advance.
With its lights flashing, the Orchestrion plays a pre-set repeating ostinato pattern which simultaneously keeps the song holding steady and leads it forward as the three instrumentalists play and solo over it, creating a unique combination of live-sounding robotics and live musicians.
Metheny plays wild strings and Francies plays accelerated keys as Gilmore works a shaker with his right hand while drumming softly with his left, leaving the Orchestrion to flash its lights as it steadily accompanies the solo creations of Metheny and Francies. The music is flowing, fluid, and majestic in nature before it shifts back to the opening strains of the composition and ends in a swirling coda.
Metheny changes back to his guitar controller for “Thing #2.” Starting with a steady drum beat, Metheny rocks out, judiciously using the instrument’s whammy bar as Francies’ organ vibrates.
On this retro slow rock piece, Metheny plays a screaming guitar solo with Francies’ organ supporting him, the trio boiling up to a rumbling, quivering wall of sound. Heads bop to the rock which, at the conclusion, elicits ringing applause from the crowd.
The Orchestrion is featured again on “Thing #3.” Taking the audience’s ears on a journey to the next dimension in sound, tambourine, bells, and then drums crisply fire on the Orchestrion within this jazzy new age piece. Complex and riveting, audience members react in amazement to the expert flickering of sounds that permeate the room.
Metheny’s rock guitar god solo elicits cheers before the music shifts, Gilmore’s drums speed up, and Francies plays reality-defying left-hand runs on one keyboard while his right hand plays chords, the piece twisting and turning, ever-changing with life and emotion before the Orchestrion is once again covered by a stagehand.
The crowd cheers for the trio’s tour-de-force performance.
To follow up, Metheny sits center stage playing his 42-string Pikasso guitar. With its two necks and harplike string area, Metheny solos in the spotlight. Using finger picks on multiple fingers which enable him to strum and pick out unusual sounds, Metheny’s left hand fingers the fingerboard on the guitar’s bottom neck while his right hand simultaneously picks on the open-tuned strings of the top neck — all while judiciously strumming the open strings of the harp-like portion of the instrument — prompting a burst of applause from the amazed crowd.
Changing back to his jazz guitar once drums and keyboard bass kick in, Francies alternates between synthesizer and grand piano while Metheny accompanies him playing a bass line on his guitar.
Francies’ solo is skillful and profound, and brings cheers from the crowd before Gilmore’s tasty drum solo does the same.
Metheny trades his jazz guitar for his synth controller where his solo screams with passion and soul before he picks the strings close to the frets to change the timbre.
Gilmore plays his drums with mallets as Metheny creates a soft and sonorous ending by sustaining the strings of his instrument while picking them between the bridge and the tailpiece.
The audience leaps to its feet and Metheny thanks his fellow musicians as he and his trio take a well-earned bow and exit the stage.
The crowd continues to stand and cheer until Metheny returns and takes a seat center stage with his jazz guitar to play a soft and melodious encore solo medley.
Opening with “Phase Dance,” Metheny fingerpicks the lovely tune as the rapt audience witnesses magic being spun right before their eyes on this intimate performance.
Giving of himself, sharing his art and gift with the lucky people in attendance, he segues into an elegant and rich interpretation of such compositions as “Minuano (Six Eight),” “September Fifteenth,” “This is Not America,” and, finally, “Last Train Home.”
Simultaneously playing bass, chords, and melody with dynamics and articulation, Metheny proves why he is the preeminent jazz musician of his generation before thanking the audience and bowing and waving prior to exiting the stage.
As audience members make their way out of the Pollak Theatre, we chat with several in the crowd who share their opinions of tonight’s performance.
Comments John from Clarksburg, “This is my 40th Pat Metheny concert. He consistently pushes the boundaries. I thoroughly enjoy the journey he takes his listeners on. I’ve been seeing him since the early ’80s, and he just keeps going and going.”
Continuing, “For one or two years, Pat toured by himself playing the larger Orchestrion which was hooked to his guitar,” John explains, “This was a smaller Orchestrion, and it was interesting the way he put it to use to compliment the live musicians onstage.”
With regards to this evening’s Side Eye performance, John remarks, “Tonight’s show was great. Pat always plays a lot of familiar tunes, but he also brought 40 minutes of new music for us to hear. This is the second time I’ve seen the Side Eye Tour and I have to say, this was very different from the first time, which took place in Princeton. Based on my experience with him, I get the definite impression that he likes to make things different every time!”
Judy from Clarksburg agrees adding, “The whole feel in Princeton was different. There was a different interaction between the musicians — a different vibration, energy, and dynamic — but I definitely enjoyed both concerts,” concluding, “I really like his music because it’s so interesting to listen to.”
Willie from Louisville, KY calls tonight’s concert “Awesome,” recalling, “I’ve been seeing Pat Metheny live since I was a 16-year-old kid.” Explaining, “It’s not just jazz standards that I like, and it’s not just the fusion he performs,” Willie contends, “Pat plays what he wants to play. He plays from what comes from inside him and it touches you — if you can tune in with it.”
Continuing, Willie discloses, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this but… once I took a date who wasn’t a Pat Metheny fan to one of Pat’s concerts and during a quiet part in the music, she turned to me and loudly asked, ‘So when’s he going to start singing?’”
Ashko from West Long Branch remarks, “Pat Metheny was fantastic tonight! I’ve seen him a couple of times, but I especially liked this concert — there was such a variety to what he played.”
Lastly, we chat with Abdo from West Long Branch who reveals, “I’ve seen Pat Metheny at least 30 times, and I really loved this show. There was a feeling of the old Pat Metheny Group when he played the synthesizer guitar — but the piece I enjoyed the most was ‘Bright Size Life.’”
Continuing, “If you want to experience great live music, Pat Metheny is the top guy to see. There’s nobody else in jazz like him,” Abdo notes, “And his new Side Eye band members are amazing. The keyboardist was brilliant — I was watching him as his right brain clicked with his left hand and his left brain clicked with his right hand — and the drummer was incredible, too, the way he masterfully handled the set.”
Asserting, “This show was so strong,” Abdo contends, “Pat Metheny is just beyond what everybody else is doing these days,” adding, “And not only was it technically superior, it was also very uplifting and spiritual. I was just blown away,” before concluding, “Mozart would be so proud.”
To learn more about Pat Metheny, please go to www.patmetheny.com. For information on upcoming performances at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre — including An Evening with Melanie on October 4, and The 5th Dimension on October 18 — please go https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/
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