The showman side of Pat Metheny arrived immediately at his appearance this past Friday at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. Before the guitarist himself emerged from the backstage shadows, his band had begun an immersive ascent to the stage from doors at both sides of the theater, performing on marching-band drums just feet from the seated audience. Nothing wrong with a bit of ceremonial fanfare to launch into the latest iteration of the GOAT of contemporary jazz guitar, as this opening salvo ushered in a set of new and old material that equally attested to its composer\u2019s questing approach to genre and instrumentation, and a signature sound propelled as much by spirit as by peerless technique.<\/p>\n
Opening number \u201cIn On It,\u201d which also opens Metheny\u2019s latest release with his current band, Side-Eye III(+), typified the songwriter\u2019s ability to look to the future of jazz\u2014keyboardist Chris Fishman\u2019s electronic flourishes mirrored a lot of what I saw a couple of weeks ago from Makaya McCraven\u2019s set at Montreux Jazz Miami\u2014while rooting his aesthetic in blues, swing, and folk traditions. Fishman would continue to be a VIP throughout the night, delivering a dynamic solo on the noirish \u201cDon\u2019t Look Down\u201d that included fluid and sprightly runs punctuated by just enough spiky dissonance to surprise us. On a cover of Michael Brecker\u2019s \u201cTimeline,\u201d Fishman\u2019s lusty Hammond organ solo, one of five keyboard devices in his array, brought jazz back to its dance-music roots, while Joe Dyson\u2019s drums, emphatic and fit for a stadium, closed the tune on a thunderous note.<\/p>\n
Audience favorites from the set included the concert staple \u201cFirst Circle,\u201d immediately identifiable from its iconic bells and handclaps, and a swooning and effervescent number carried in part by twin cymbal shimmer from Dyson and percussionist Luis Conte. In this euphoric number, the irrepressible Fishman sounded most like Metheny\u2019s late collaborator Lyle Mays than at any other point in the show. Conte added Spanish-language vocals to \u201cMas Alla,\u201d one of Metheny\u2019s many world-music nods. Another came in the form of the classic \u201cBetter Days Ahead,\u201d performed as an intimate trio with a samba flavor. Behind the players, a curtain of stars twinkled on a projection screen, enhancing the romantic vibe\u2014one of many times the tech crew proved to be very much in sync with the music.<\/p>\n
Toward the end of the set, Metheny switched up the configurations for what felt like the show\u2019s emotional crescendo: duets with Fishman (the vintage \u201cPhase Dance\u201d), bassist Jermain Paul (Antonio Carlos Jobim\u2019s \u201cHow Insensitive,\u201d which felt like a conversation too deep for words), and Dyson (\u201cTrigonometry,\u201d from Metheny\u2019s collaboration with Ornette Coleman). In the latter, Metheny indulged his inner Jimi Hendrix-meets-Thurston Moore, in a noisy suite of scrapes and shards on electric guitar. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m in the majority here, but I could always use more of this side of Metheny!<\/p>\n
The encore included a short solo suite from Metheny that featured his delicate rendering of \u201cAmerica, America,\u201d and a rousing full-band interpretation of \u201cSong For Bilbao\u201d whose signature Metheny guitar sound positively screamed from the frets and strings\u2014but in ecstasy, not in agony. It was a fitting end to a night of journeys, remixes and reimaginings from one of the most impressive discographies in modern jazz.<\/p>\n