Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny arrived in Eugene on Sunday, May 2 for a concert at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, and Rebecca, Gina, Jory and I -- along with Jory's friends Ryan Wilson and Kevin Maloney -- had front row seats.The Grammy Award-winning jazz composer had been to Eugene a number of times over the years, but this concert promised to be something completely different. Usually supported with a group of world-class jazz musicians like pianist Lyle Mays, Metheny would appear solo at this show. But this would not be your typical "unplugged" concert: on the contrary.
Fascinated with the "player piano" in his youth, Metheny has spent the past several years inventing a music-making machine called an "orchestrion," an elaborate contraption with pianos, percussion, vibraphone, bells, marimba, bottles and other sound-making instruments that he plays with his guitar.
Defined as "a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band," the complex devices are operated by means of a large pinned cylinder (think player piano). Developed by German and Czech inventors in the late 1700s, the orchestrion peaked in the 1920s during the Jazz Age.Having lapsed into obscurity, Metheny has resurrected the orchestrion, but with an thoroughly updated and highly computerized version of the 18th century device (above, right).
Opening with two beautiful -- but dangerously sleep-inducing -- tunes, he wisely broke into his "Orchestrion" album, which livened things up considerably. From there, the tunes were impeccably choreographed. The concept seems to work, because his computerized "band" is in sync, both in terms of his new stuff and his classic material from albums like "American Garage."
Becky thought the visual backdrop of the orchestrion was distracting, and she had to close her eyes to fully appreciate the music at times, but I found the device interesting. The individual instruments would light up when utilized, which helped me track the action. Hey, we're both right, depending on your perspective.
In retrospect, the concert was excellent, though the crowd was a bit on the light side considering the artist. Pat Metheny played old tunes and new, with a variety of guitars, and he remains a virtuoso and innovator in the wide, wide world of jazz music.
1 comment:
When I was 18 yrs old I played at a tavern in North Conway, New Hampshire where a young pianist (an escapee from MIT) also was performing with his own version of this beast (that would have been about 1974). He had an entire drum set on rails, each with huge electromagnets (are there any other kind?) and car starter solonoids that triggered actual drumsticks... it was massive, impressive, annoying and fascinating all at the same time! I'm sorry I missed Pat's version... but I am going to see Dan Hicks this weekend -- maybe he'll pull down his pants again, like he did in Newport some years ago. That was annoying, too.
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