2015 was a banner year for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. The highlight was his stint as Musician-in-Residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival. In an effort to keep his string of good luck going, Metheny is putting the finishing touches on two new albums, The Unity Sessions and Cuong Vu Meets Pat Metheny. Both are scheduled to drop on May 6th.
Both albums will feature long time collaborators of the 61 year old Metheny. According to Downbeat online, "The Unity Sessions is taken from a filmed performance with the Pat Metheny Unity Group (drummer Anonio Sanchez, saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Ben Williams, multi-instrumentalist Giulio Carmassi) that was recently released on DVD. The set comprises 13 songs by Metheny, including one he co-wrote with Ornette Coleman, and a well-known standard by Ray Noble." The song Metheny co-wrote with the late, great Ornette Coleman will no doubt be of special interest to numerous Jazz afficiandos.
On the Cuong Vu Meets Pat Metheny release, Downbeat has this to say, "...the guitarist joins a trio led by longtime Pat Metheny Group trumpeter Cuong Vu. (Other members of the trio include Stomu Takeishi on bass and Ted Poor on drums.) The album consists of five tunes written by Vu plus one by Metheny and one by Andrew D'Angelo. "
Pat Metheny has separated himself in his visionary approach to the sound that he creates. Not content with rehashing past licks, Metheny continues to expand on his repotoire while searching for new horizons. According to his record company, NoneSuch's website, "Over the course of more than three decades, guitarist Pat Metheny has set himself apart from the jazz mainstream, expanding and blurring boundaries and musical styles. His record-setting body of work includes 20 Grammy Awards in 12 separate categories; a series of influential trio recordings; award-winning solo albums; scores for hit Hollywood motion pictures; and collaborations and duets with major artists like Ornette Coleman, Steve Reich, Charlie Haden, Brad Mehldau, and many others. His band the Pat Metheny Group, founded in 1977, is the only ensemble in history to win Grammys for seven consecutive releases."
