Pat Metheny - Orchestrion

markjazzbassist · #1 04-17-2010, 09:40 AM

Wow!! What a record and concept. Pat plays one huge mechanical/analog machine that does the backing (he composes it all and sets it all) and then he overdubbed his guitar over it all.

Classic Metheny sound and some cool bass work (album book looks like a ibanez bass, go figure with his guitar deal).

Pat Metheny is such an innovator and such a genius, I don't think people give him enough due/credit for how much his is trying to expand the Jazz idiom.

Anyone else?

Kwesi · #2 04-17-2010, 03:29 PM

I gotta get this album, as big a Metheny fan as I am I don't know why I don't have it yet

. Easily my favorite guitarist.

markjazzbassist · #3 04-17-2010, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwesi

Easily my favorite guitarist.

he's top 3 for me for sure. definately my favorite jazz player.

bongomania · #4 04-17-2010, 11:24 PM

I've never been a Metheney fan, but listening to him talking about the Orchestrion project on NPR today, I could dig what he had to say. He has a very good-natured, non-stuck-up, and "zen" (yet also rebellious) approach to the whole project and how people will respond to it.

markjazzbassist · #5 04-18-2010, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

I've never been a Metheney fan, but listening to him talking about the Orchestrion project on NPR today, I could dig what he had to say. He has a very good-natured, non-stuck-up, and "zen" (yet also rebellious) approach to the whole project and how people will respond to it.

+1

there's a video on his website as well that shows it all going down and stuff, free viewing worth checking out.

i just appreciate that he's not a jazz purist in the swinging bop sense. i like that's he's doing something different.

SIDE NOTE: i love NPR, they are the only news outlet worth listening to. it also helps that my finace works for them

superbassman2000 · #6 04-18-2010, 08:35 AM

Metheny is great, and it's a cool concept, but looking at it objectively, it appears that he isn't doing anything he couldn't do with a midi equipped guitar in my opinion, other than the fact that he can get the analog sounds rather than from a sound bank.

IconBasser · #7 04-18-2010, 11:32 PM

once a metheny fan, always a metheny fan!

In other words, I enjoyed the album. And as always, he gave me some cool chord progressions to mess about with. For example, I had never thought of going from a minor seventh chord (as the root change) down a half step to an aeolian. Seems kinda random, but sounded really cool!

jasonmasters · #8 04-19-2010, 10:20 AM

Here's a youtube clip of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJDQEPPd1jU

Emibass · #9 04-19-2010, 10:32 AM

Wasn´t Nathan East the bassist?? Don´t kill me if I´m wrong

KJung · #10 04-19-2010, 10:33 AM

The first Metheny album ever that I have no interest in owning.

KJung · #11 04-19-2010, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonmasters

Here's a youtube clip of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJDQEPPd1jU

That is wonderful

Edit: I'm cryin' that is so funny... that is just brutal!

jasonmasters · #12 04-19-2010, 10:41 AM

I cried as well

markjazzbassist · #13 04-19-2010, 09:54 PM

there is no bassist on the record. it's pat, controlling the large mechanical orchestrion (think one huge player piano but he composes for a whole array of instruments).

it's a solo record in every sense of the word.

IconBasser · #14 04-20-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonmasters

Here's a youtube clip of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJDQEPPd1jU

holy crap that was funny! I love the bassist: "doop doopy doop-a-doop, doo-dee-doo"

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #15 04-20-2010, 11:59 AM

I really like it (big Metheny fan already). Be warned- the first couple songs are long enough that if you're already in a relaxed mood, they can lull you to sleep. I fell asleep in the middle of my daughter's Girl Scouts meeting listening to it, and apparently a bunch of the girls started laughing at me.

**yodedude2** · #16 04-20-2010, 12:16 PM

i have only heard a couple of 'orchestrion' tracks from the website. i enjoy the composition and guitar performances, i like the 'acoustics' of the music, and yet ... it makes me sad to know he could simply call steve swallow or christian mcbride, antonio sanchez, gary burton or any number of some of the greatest musicians on this planet to do some more wonderful human-performed music instead of programming machines to play his compositions. it seems so sad to me. will this be followed up with band-performance versions of his tunes? I like that concept better. later, ron

KJung · #17 04-20-2010, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IconBasser

holy crap that was funny! I love the bassist: "doop doopy doop-a-doop, doo-dee-doo"

+1 Hilarious! I love when Richard Bona comes in on acoustic guitar and vocals.... just strummin' and singing the old Cameroon fold tunes

Wonderful!

To be serious, I saw that tour, and it was KILLIN'. Fun to see it tweaked a bit though. They must have had a blast doing Pat's 'vocals'.

jknoxdmd · #18 05-10-2010, 08:02 PM

Saw Pat and the Orchestrion this past Saturday and it was amazing. I could watch him play all night. You can just see the love he has for his art and sharing it. At points in the concert he actually is so into his playing he rises on his toes. Love hate or just don't care for his music you have to admit the man is an innovator.

::::BASSIST:::: · #19 05-10-2010, 08:31 PM

Love Metheny.

I used to have 22 of his albums... before my house got robbed about 10 years ago.

I'll have to check this new album out.

jknoxdmd · #20 05-10-2010, 08:35 PM

Not that it's funny Bassist but they stole your records? That would bother me more than if they stole my stereo. Albums to me represent a specific time in my life kind of like photographs.