Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Pat Metheny at The Space at Westbury

Pat Metheny at The Space at Westbury

View Slideshow

By Mike Perciaccante
April 12, 2019
View read count

Pat Metheny
The Space at Westbury
Westbury, NY
April 4, 2019

Pat Metheny

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Metheny is considered as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in jazz history. His musical canon is extensive. His playing fuses elements of modern, progressive, Latin jazz, blues, swing, improv and, of course, jazz fusion. Metheny counts

Wes Montgomery

guitar
1923 - 1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery,

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman,

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis,

Weather Report

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Weather Report,

The Beatles

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Beatles,

Steve Reich

composer / conductor
b.1936

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Reich, James Taylor,

Bruce Hornsby

piano and vocals
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Bruce Hornsby,

Cheap Trick

" data-original-title="" title="">Cheap Trick, and

Joni Mitchell

vocals
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Joni Mitchell among his influences. He is always re-inventing himself and, as a result, is often referred to as a trailblazer. Metheny has a huge catalog of music, having released almost fifty albums (three of which were certified as gold by the R.I.A.A.). He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, received numerous honors/accolades and won 20 Grammy Awards. He is the only artist to win Grammys in 10 different categories.

On a pleasant early April evening in Westbury, NY, Metheny's Side Eye Tour touched down at the sold-out Space at Westbury concert venue. The Side Eye Tour, Metheny has been quoted as saying, is "an ongoing setting to feature a rotating cast of new and upcoming musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way." On this night, Metheny was joined on stage by drummer and songwriter

Nate Smith

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Nate Smith and pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger

James Francies

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">James Francies.

The concert began with Smith and Metheny performing "Blues For Pat" and "James" (an homage to

James Taylor

guitar and vocals
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">James Taylor which originally appeared on the 1982 ECM Records album Offramp). Following those tunes, Smith stepped aside and Francies performed two tunes (most notably "Have You Heard") with the virtuoso guitarist.

The concert began in earnest with all three musicians working together like a well-oiled machine, starting with "So May It Secretly Begin" and segueing into "Bright Size Life." Highlights of the performance included: the covers of

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman ("The Good Life") and

Michael Brecker

saxophone, tenor
1949 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Brecker ("Timeline") as well as "Bright Size Life" (with its wonderful crescendos), "Jaco," "Always And Forever" and one of his older tunes—"Farmer's Trust" from Travels (ECM Records, 1983).

The performance was fantastic and nuanced with extraordinary interplay between the three musicians. The venue was filled with an incredible energy—the type of energy that allowed the fans to feed off of the vibe from the stage and the musicians to feed off of the excitement of the crowd. Metheny, Smith and Francies were having fun and judging by the applause, cheers and whistles both at the beginning and end of each tune, the audience members were thrilled and loved every minute of the show.

Photo Credit: Christine Connallon
[Additional article contributions by Christine Connallon].

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Balance with Gerald Cleaver and Bill...
< Previous

Soufifex
Next >

Pat Metheny Concerts

Sep 22 Mon

Pat Metheny

Sala Nezahualcoyotl
Ciudad de M��xico, Mexico

Oct 1 Wed

Pat Metheny

The Kate
Old Saybrook, CT

Oct 2 Thu

Pat Metheny

The Kate
Old Saybrook, CT

Oct 3 Fri

The Park Theatre

The Historic Park Theatre & Event Center
Cranston, RI

Oct 4 Sat

Pat Metheny

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Great Barrington, MA

Oct 5 Sun

Pat Metheny

Grand Opera House
Wilmington, DE

Oct 6 Mon

Pat Metheny

Carnegie Library Of Homestead
Munhall, PA

Oct 7 Tue

Pat Metheny

Rose Marie And John Beston Hall
Rochester, NY

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.