{"id":304569,"date":"2026-05-07T17:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304569\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:29:15","slug":"leonard-patton-beyond-jazzed-to-sing-in-guitar-great-pat-methenys-new-side-eye-iii-band-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304569\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonard Patton beyond jazzed to sing in guitar great Pat Metheny\u2019s new Side-Eye III+ band \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leonard Patton\u2019s debut tour this year as a member of 20-time Grammy Award-winning guitar giant and composer Pat Metheny\u2019s Side-Eye III+ band is a dream come true for the award-winning San Diego singer in every possible way. So is being featured on \u201cSe-o,\u201d a standout song from \u201cSide-Eye III+,\u201d Metheny\u2019s superb new album and his first to prominently feature vocals in more than a decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely! Anytime you\u2019re playing with one of your heroes, it\u2019s a dream come true,\u201d said Patton, speaking from a recent tour stop in Vancouver, Canada. \u201cIt\u2019s something you don\u2019t plan for and can never intentionally ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much more of a dream come true will it be for Patton to perform Friday night with Metheny and Side-Eye III+ at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay in San Diego, the city Patton has called home since he was 5 years old?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even think I can fathom it,\u201d replied the versatile singer, who attended Boston\u2019s Berklee College of Music and earned his master\u2019s in jazz studies at SDSU in 2010. A musical theater veteran, Patton has been the featured vocalist in national commercials for Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola and NASCAR.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in San Diego, so almost all of my music peers are there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSan Diego has a wonderful music community, so when somebody does something well \u2014 or gets on a big tour or wins an award \u2014 everybody is so supportive. Doing a concert at Humphreys with Pat is really a hometown party with family, a zillion friends and people who are very supportive and happy for this opportunity I\u2019ve been given.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those people is top San Diego jazz guitarist Peter Sprague, who has performed and recorded with Patton for more than 30 years. It was Sprague and Patton\u2019s stellar 2015 duo album, the presciently titled \u201cDream Walkin\u2019,\u201d that put Patton firmly on Metheny\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a dream come true for Leonard to be collaborating with Pat,\u201d said Sprague, who counts such past and present jazz luminaries as Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Dianne Reeves and San Diego\u2019s Charles McPherson among his previous collaborators.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in Pat\u2019s band is the gig of a lifetime,\u201d Sprague elaborated. \u201cTo play that incredible music on a world tour with Pat and the other great musicians in his band is a highpoint for any artist. I\u2019m so happy for Leonard because there\u2019s no one more deserving of that opportunity than him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GuitarGuitar great Pat Metheny, at left, is now on tour with his Side-Eye III+ band, which features San Diego singer\/percussionist Leonard Patton, top right. (Jeffrey Moeller\/Tampa Bay Music News)
\nGospel, jazz, \u2018Hello, Dolly!\u2019<\/p>\n

A happily married father of three, the 56-year-old Patton brings an unusually varied number of artistic talents and credits to any setting.<\/p>\n

The son of a gospel singer father, the younger Patton is the owner and operator of The Jazz Lounge, the live music and dinner club near SDSU that celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. In 2017, he launched the Jazz Vocal Workshop to provide free music instruction at schools across San Diego County.<\/p>\n

Leonard Patton sings out at his San Diego venue, The Jazz Lounge, which opened during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a><\/p>\n

A musical theater veteran, Patton has been featured in an array of North Coast Repertory Theatre, Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre and San Diego Musical Theatre productions, including \u201cGodspell,\u201d \u201cMixTape,\u201d \u201cPump Up the Volume: A \u201890s-Palooza\u201d and \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d He has taught songwriting classes at Cal State San Marcos, worked as a substitute music teacher at Francis Parker Upper School, and \u2014 when his schedule allows \u2014 gives private voice and improvisation lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever I\u2019m doing, I try to be real with the music,\u201d Patton said. \u201cI like a good challenge and I like a lot of different music. I like Miles Davis and I like Led Zeppelin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LeonardLeonard Patton speaks to the crowd after winning Best Jazz Artist honors at the 35th annual San Diego Music Awards at Humphreys Concerts By The Bay in Shelter Island on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nBest Jazz Artist award-winner<\/p>\n

The 2026 Best Jazz Artist winner at the San Diego Music Awards, Patton has performed countless gigs as the leader of his own bands and with various musical partners, Sprague most of all.<\/p>\n

San Diego Music Awards 2026 announces 27 winners, surpasses $1 million in fundraising<\/a><\/p>\n

The two met in 1993 when the acclaimed guitarist was doing a concert and master class at Mesa College and Patton approached him. The budding young singer was just 23 at the time. But his skill level and enthusiasm were as unmistakable as his musical-sponge-like quest to absorb and learn as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember Leonard coming up and, in a very humble way, introducing himself and telling me a little about his music,\u201d Sprague said. \u201cHe asked me to produce a couple of songs for him, so he came to my studio. That\u2019s when I first heard him sing and I was very impressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I had a gig at the Horton Grand downtown. I asked Leonard to sit in and it really opened a door. I realized: \u2018This guy is extremely talented. He\u2019s smart, he knows a lot about music theory and has all these other terrific qualities.\u2019 We started doing more and more gigs together and it built from there. Leonard is a great jazz singer, but he can also do pop, bossa-nova, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Paul Simon, and a lot more, very, very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon, not coincidentally, is also an admirer of Patton, at least from afar.<\/p>\n

In 2022, a San Diego Union-Tribune reader forwarded this writer\u2019s preview of Patton\u2019s \u201cPaul Simon Reimagined\u201d concerts at The Jazz Lounge to Robert Hilburn, the former Los Angeles Times pop music critic. Hilburn, whose authoritative biography, \u201cPaul Simon: The Life,\u201d was published in 2018, alerted Simon in Connecticut who then checked out Patton\u2019s singing online.<\/p>\n

The legendary singer-songwriter was so impressed with what he heard that he emailed Patton to offer encouragement. He also made specific suggestions about lesser-known Simon songs for Patton to consider performing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re playing for a club audience but an unexpected song in the middle of a set, if performed right and with an audience that is tuned in, can lift a set in an unexpected way,\u201d Simon wrote to Patton.\u00a0\u201cAnyway, I wish you good luck and I like the way you play. A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

So does Metheny, who first heard Patton on \u201cDream Walkin,\u201d the singer\u2019s sublime 2015 duo album with Sprague.<\/p>\n

\"Award-winningAward-winning San Diego singer Leonard Patton and guitarist Peter Sprague have been good friends and collaborators since 1993. (Jon Naugle \/ Courtesy Peter Sprague)
\n\u2018Staggering!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Dream Walkin\u2019\u201d is staggering!\u201d Metheny said in a 2021 Union-Tribune interview. \u201cIt\u2019s on a level of musicianship that is in the top .00001 percent of what it is to be a musician.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat Metheny, a 20-time Grammy-winner, talks music, film and snafus: \u2018Everything that could ever go wrong has\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Metheny, who has won 20 Grammy Awards in a record 12 categories, has collaborated over the years with everyone from Joni Mitchell and David Bowie to such jazz giants as Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman and Jaco Pastorius.<\/p>\n

An astute judge of talent, Metheny has hired and nurtured a fair number of outstanding musicians in his bands over the years from far and near. Some of the standouts include Mexican drummer Antonio Sanchez, Cameroonian bassist and vocalist Richard Bona, French-Vietnamese trumpeter Cuong Vu, Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, Malaysian bassist Linda May Han Oh and Chicago-bred drummer Paul Wertico.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cPat has been friends with Peter (Sprague) for many years,\u201d Patton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, anytime Pat comes to perform in San Diego, Peter takes me as his plus-one which is very cool. So, I\u2019ve met Pat every couple of years, because nearly all of his tours have come to San Diego. \u2018Dream Walkin\u2019 \u2018 came out in 2015 and Pat really loves that album. He\u2019s told the other guys in Side-Eye that Peter is the best guitar accompanist (for singers) in the world. I think that album put me on Pat\u2019s radar for future consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sprague agreed, adding: \u201cI think Leonard and I went to about eight of Pat\u2019s concerts here in San Diego. Leonard was always very humble when he met Pat; he never said: \u2018I\u2019m a great singer.\u2019 And I think Pat sensed that humility, just like I had when I first met Leonard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Metheny did not hear Patton sing in person until 2022, when the internationally acclaimed guitarist was booked to play a one-off private concert that year in Orange County. Rather than fly out from New York with his own group, Metheny invited Sprague and his talent-rich band \u2014 including Patton \u2014 to accompany him. He was suitably wowed by their performance of his music.<\/p>\n

Then again, it is likely Sprague and Patton are more conversant with Metheny\u2019s extensive body of work than almost any other working musicians anywhere.<\/p>\n

Over the past 30-plus years, the San Diego singer and guitarist have performed numerous concerts here showcasing various Metheny compositions. The 2022 album, \u201cPeter Sprague Plays Pat Metheny, Volume One,\u201d features seven pieces written by Metheny. Patton is featured on four of them, including \u201cSong for Bilbao,\u201d which he is now singing nightly on tour with Metheny\u2019s Side-Eye III+. The band\u2019s other members include Chris Fishman on keyboards, Joe Dyson on drums and Jermaine Paul on bass.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe younger guys in Pat\u2019s band don\u2019t have the history with Pat\u2019s music that Leonard has,\u201d Sprague said. \u201cAnd Pat has commented to them that Leonard knows the whole body of Pat\u2019s work. Leonard came into Pat\u2019s band with all these songs memorized and he knows all the fine points, historically, of how these tunes were originally done and need to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanLeonard Patton is shown in The Jazz Lounge, the San Diego live music supper club he opened in 2021. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\n\u2018Body and soul\u2019<\/p>\n

Metheny initially considered bringing Patton into his then-new Side-Eye group as early as 2022 \u2014 mid-tour and on very short notice \u2014 according to both Patton and Sprague. After a series of discussions between Metheny\u2019s tour manager and Patton in 2025, Metheny called the singer last Dec. 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great day \u2014 he called me on my wedding anniversary!\u201d Patton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe very first thing he said is: \u2018Are you ready to do this?\u2019 And I was, like: \u2018Yeah!\u2019 It was that quick. I didn\u2019t even need to audition because I\u2019d already done that gig with him in Orange County. I don\u2019t think Pat has toured with a vocalist in nearly 20 years, so he was super excited that not only can we do tunes from the new album, but also some of the classics and old tunes he hasn\u2019t done on tour in years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having immersed himself in Metheny\u2019s expansive artistic oeuvre for several decades, Patton is beyond delighted to now be taking an even deeper dive, nightly on stage, alongside the guitarist whose music has been a constant inspiration to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been singing Pat\u2019s music for many, many years,\u201d Patton said. \u201cYou can never assume that you\u2019ve perfected his songs, but they were already in me, in my body and soul. So, it was like there was an instant connection when I joined his band. Now, it\u2019s like a new wave of emotion and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, I\u2019m pinching myself to see if this is really happening because it blows my mind,\u201d Patton said. \u201cEvery day, I get new insight into Pat and his music, which are both on such a high level. It\u2019s a constant growth thing and it\u2019s beautiful. I never, ever thought I\u2019d even have the chance to do something like this. Pat loves this band and he\u2019s already writing new music for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego\u2019s Leonard Patton, left, and Peter Sprague, fourth from left, first performed with Pat Metheny, third from left, in 2022 at a private concert in Orange County that featured Metheny accompanied by Sprague\u2019s band. Patton this year became a member of Metheny\u2019s Side-Eye+ band, which is on an extended world concert tour. (John Opferkuch \/ Courtesy Peter Sprague)
\nEuropean tour looms<\/p>\n

Another pinch-me moment came on March 2 in Mississippi, where Side-Eye III+ opened its 2026 world tour in Jackson on March 2. The sublime singer Cassandra Wilson, a longtime favorite of Patton\u2019s, was in the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe lives in in Jackson and had to leave right after the gig,\u201d Patton said. \u201cBut she and Pat talked on the phone after the concert, and she loved it. She wanted Pat to tell me: \u2018Great job on vocals.\u2019 She\u2019s one of my heroes. So, for her to be there and say that was pretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patton\u2019s Friday performance with Metheny and Side-Eye III+ at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay will taje place just two days after the 2026 San Diego Music Awards were held at the same venue.<\/p>\n

Patton, who was on hand for Wednesday\u2019s awards fete, will spend the summer on a European tour with Side-Eye III+ that opens June 5 in Denmark. But he won\u2019t be kicking back during the three weeks he has off before flying to Europe. Instead, the tireless singer will be performing multiple times with multiple bands at his San Diego club, The Jazz Lounge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be fun to do some gigs with my musician friends, including Peter,\u201d Patton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what the gig is, you need to strive for authenticity. I\u2019m always looking to do something different and go a little past my comfort zone. Music is sacred to me. So, you want to give the best of what you do in every aspect because you are always a reflection of what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat Metheny Side-Eye III+<\/p>\n

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 8<\/p>\n

Where: Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island<\/p>\n

Tickets: $99.60<\/p>\n

Online: humphreysconcerts.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leonard Patton\u2019s debut tour this year as a member of 20-time Grammy Award-winning guitar giant and composer Pat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[28681,128369,74,76,89938,75,128370],"class_list":["post-304569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-grammy-awards","tag-pat-metheny","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-music-awards","tag-san-diego-news","tag-side-eye-iii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}