Pat Metheny Orchestrion Tour – Meany Hall/UW Campus (Seattle, WA; April 30, 2010)

Trepidation. This is what I felt as I prepared to attend Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion Tour show at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus. Even though I had checked it out and knew there’d be some automated cool and wacky weirdness, I wasn’t sure it was going to make my ears happy. I like it when my ears are happy.

I love Pat Metheny. My first well worn recordings of The Pat Metheny Group had been on that vilified but convenient media: the cassette tape. Recorded, of course, to protect the grooves. After decades of sharing his virtuosity on guitar and mastery of his brand of hip and amazing jazz, I hadn’t really expected Mr. Metheny’s latest (sonic) vision to mess with such a good thing. Like I said: trepidation.

Pat Metheny arrived on stage with the big smile and self-effacing manner that has always been there; his apparent modesty setting up you up for the surprise of what’s to come, even when you know it’s coming. At first, there was no overt evidence of any robotic chicanery. Opening his one-man/many machine show with single-note modal balladeering on nylon string guitar, he changed the tune at once into a light samba with no apparent change of instrumentation. Then, I heard it! Coming out from under his Pikasso guitar and “Into the Dream” was the rest of the band! His palette still largely invisible, footswitches and subtle controls gently and almost sneakily sent atmospheric sounds that wound their way into the soundscape. 

But you knew something was there. Finger cymbals bouncing away to his right were the most obvious, but then a few tunes later, when he could no longer deny the presence of his surroundings, Metheny raised the curtain to reveal the whole Orchestrion. (Gasps from the audience.) Racks and rigs of every possible instrument to help a jazz master say anything he wants! Metheny then ripped right into his suite from the Orchestrion album and demonstrated exactly what the whole fusillade could do. Pianos and marimba played themselves; percussion instruments waved and bounced with invisible hands guiding them. Robotic saxophones waved at the audience, which could be guided around the stage by lights flashing at each of the instruments’ positions. The musical pieces moved with symphonic construction but with the added “what’s next?” of Metheny’s ability to keep you slightly off-balance, near the edge, and hold your hand at the same time.

Metheny then gave us a chance to catch our breath (and his?) to describe just what the hell was going on up there. He told of his family’s player piano that fascinated him to no end. Back we were with him in that musty dusty basement and under that contraption in a flash. Spring forward to today and Metheny describes the reality that modern recording might allow “overdubs” or “multi-tracking” to allow a musician to play over their own recording… but how to take that live and make it sound good? He talked engineering, Diskclaviers, and solenoids for a bit. Then Metheny picked up his guitar, and let the music do the talking.

Metheny continued with “Soul Search” to complete the Orchestrion suite. And for the first time in show, he stretched out to improvise in the way only he can. Following this, Metheny employed a little ragtime and the Orchestrion was put to work looping Metheny’s melodic themes, also bringing the arrangement up and down for a fairly moody and atmospheric presentation. There was a sense of ensemble here, even with the disembodied nature of things. Metheny demonstrated this interface by looping over his own playing and then controlling the Orchestrion with the same guitar in real time in a fun, chunky romp that showed how sometimes, “Mr. Finger Cymbals” (think wind-up toy monkey with cymbals…) could be a little funky on the timing. 

Metheny moved on to some crowd favorites such as “Are You Going With Me,” “As It Is,” and “Last Train Home.” All along the way, it became obvious the Orchestrion becomes less and less a machine, and more a (very cooperative) musical partner. Two-and-a-half hours worth of Metheny’s gifts later, and the audience wanted more, and then more! Metheny encored again with “Have You Heard” and I’m yet again amazed at how one of my favorites shines through. Did it sound real, live? I think Mr. Metheny did it. My ears are very happy.

For more on Metheny’s Orchestrion, check it out here.

Pat Metheny review to your liking? You'll sweat:

Loudon Wainwright III + Leo Kottke - Moore Theatre (Seattle, WA; Oct. 12, 2008)

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Les Paul - Iridium Jazz Club (New York, NY; Feb. 18, 2008)

Cat Power + Appaloosa - The Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Feb 7, 2008)

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