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Joined: January 20 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1601
Topic: Pat Metheny Orchestrion Tour (Mind-blowing) Posted: October 04 2010 at 15:00
Last night I attended the Pat Metheny show in Homestead Pennsylvania. It was FAR FAR FAR from what I was expecting. There was no band other than Metheny. This was the ultimate one man band. He opened it up with solo acoustic work, then got out his crazy guitar type instrument with four necks on it and played a crazy eastern sounding psychedelic kind of jam.
THEN! The covers we're whipped off the back of the stage and a set up was revealed that was mind blowing. A wall of pieces of a drum set (not assembled in a set fashion), all kinds of percussion, guitars, bass guitars, etc.. and in front of this was a piano, marimba, all kinds of other bells (xylophone and vibes perhaps) and things I can't even identify. Heres the catch...they all started playing themselves. Acoustic instruments played perfectly by machines. Except Metheny was controlling it, it wasn't just played back with a program. He would do improvised jams where he could get it to do call and response with him, play in unison/harmony with him, or play under his fantastic lead work. He did it all.
These two give you an idea.
This one isn't great quality, but shows you what it looked like on stage.
While not as much of "progressive" music as other concerts I've attended, I'd say it's the most truly progressive concert I've been too. Strange wording, but you know what I mean.
Edited by himtroy - October 04 2010 at 15:03
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
Joined: January 20 2009
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Points: 1601
Posted: October 04 2010 at 15:13
He played the entire album during the show. He played most of it, then took a break and explained some of the set up, followed by a very long version of the final track of the album.
I had absolutely no idea that I wasn't going to see Pat with a band. I was amazed.
And I'll admit that I didn't know where to post this topic....
Edited by himtroy - October 04 2010 at 15:29
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
Joined: January 20 2009
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Points: 1601
Posted: October 04 2010 at 22:52
Metheny was quite hilarious as well. His banter with the crowd was very amusing, and at one point when starting a song the technology was giving him a problem and he just explained it, laughed it off, and started over.
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
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Posted: October 06 2010 at 17:33
himtroy wrote:
harmonium.ro wrote:
There's a Live Performance Reviews sub-forum just for that.
RE the review: interesting, I'll check the videos tomorrow.
Oh....If an administrator wants to move it that'd be great. However I feel like nobody is responding and this topic is just going to fade away anyway.
Well you know, the set of people who are Metheny fans probably aren't particularly large on this site (he's just not metal enough ) . Then cut out the fans who haven't heard Orchestrion. Add in the people who will hear it and not use the search function and you may be right.
I would strongly encourage those fans who really like his old stuff, but are a bit blase about his newer material to try this one.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
Joined: January 20 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1601
Posted: October 06 2010 at 20:56
Yeah, Metheny doesn't get nearly enough love on this site. In fact jazz in general doesn't. I myself actually haven't heard the album which utilizes Orchestrion. I should most certainly get it I suppose. I've only really heard Bright Size Life, Secret Story, and Speaking of Now. Other than that I've just seen live videos. I knew Metheny would put on dominant show though, so I knew I needed to go.
What would you (the only person posting in the thread) recommend by him?
This was the video I showed to all my friend to get them to go, as it kicks large amounts of ass.
It succeeded, as I showed it to three people and they all went. Two of them had never even heard Pat. How shocked we all we're when he unveiled the Orchestrion.
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29625
Posted: October 06 2010 at 21:02
My favorites by Metheny so far: Offramp Bright Size Life Watercolors New Chataqua Orchestrion As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls Pat Metheny Group American Garage Travels First Circle Imaginary Day It seems he kind of got a bit too generic after Travels, picked it up with Imaginary Day and went back to generic. And by generic, I mean generic Metheny, if anyone knows what I'm getting at...
Honorary mention for being on Joni Mitchell's Shadows And Light, not Metheny driven but really good. I do think he and Jaco nearly stole the show. Everyone in the band really worked well together in a live setting.
Edited by Slartibartfast - October 06 2010 at 21:12
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
Joined: January 20 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1601
Posted: October 06 2010 at 21:24
I was just about to say, I'm definitely diving into more Jaco collaborations. Bright Size Life is what got me into Metheny, and probably jazz in general.
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
I've always like a lot of what Metheney has to offer, especially his trios and, of course, on those Joni tours in the late 70s. Don't leave Micheal Brecker out when mentioning that band.
I think a lot of negative ideas of Metheney come about 'cause he's recorded so much on the ECM label.....many are turned off by the slick production and the high-falutin' nature (not to mention the $20 price tags) of a lot of ECM albums. Not me....Carla Bley, Charles Lloyd, Keith Jarrett, Egberto Gismonti....there are just so many great ECM records, just have to rob me a bank to afford 'em.
I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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