PAT METHENY

all images © Chuck Bryant

at Peaches Music,
Dadeland, Miami

Early in the the 80's I bought an ECM Sampler that included (Cross the) Heartland from Pat's American Garage. Bright, lively, sparkling, it appealed to me and moved me to buy his Grammy-winning Offramp. Something about Pat's sound, the production, the imagination, the clarity hooked me thoroughly. Every piece, whether overtly upbeat and driven, somber and reflective, or raucous and almost chaotic, embodied something perfectly-integrated and full of life itself. I bought Travels and found more of the same. So when I saw the Pat Metheny Group scheduled to perform at Miami's James L. Knight Center, I had to go.

Little problem: Recently out of the hospital due to my motorcycle crash, I wasn't up to driving. Cari Shalla, 16, agreed to take me to the show. Suffice it to say that I loved the concert and Cari endured it. (She did say the closing piece, the closest thing Pat did to a rocker, sounded OK).

The First Circle album took everything I enjoyed so far to an altogether new level: I honestly consider it transcendent. Something magical happens in these pieces. For a few years Pat came to south Florida at least every other year and I went to every performance, including the trio performance in West Palm Beach and an Orlando appearance. These shots span maybe a decade.

Pat's music evokes a complex emotional jumble for me. No matter what else it stirs up I still find it creating and revealing a pervasive, indomitable sense of life, even in most of the more unconventional compositions and explorations.

sound check

With Gary Burton at Palm Beach County Sunfest (below)

The Secret Story tour (Sorry I don't have any better shots)

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