Pat Metheny’s Unity Band
Diaa Bekheet | Washington, DC – Celebrated Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, one of the brightest stars in the jazz sky, has released a new album with his new killer quartet, Unity Band. Pat Metheny Unity Band showcases nine new, original compositions.
The band includes saxophonist and bass clarinetist Chris Potter, drummer Antonio Sanchez, and bassist Ben Williams. “This is a group of musicians who can do just about anything,” says Metheny.
Metheny features a tenor saxophone in the front line for the first time in three decades. In his 1980 recordings, Metheny featured now-trumpet-legend Michael Brecker and saxophone titan Dewey Redman.
After just returning to the United States following a European tour, Pat Metheny is wasting no time touring American cities. Tickets for many of his upcoming concerts with Unity Band have already sold out.
[audio:http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2012_08/goldrecords_Metheny_JazzBeat_july2011.mp3]During his career as a popular jazz guitar master, Metheny has won several awards, including 19 Grammys and three gold records for “Still Life (Talking),” “Letter from Home,” and “Secret Story.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h20HhCIOdSU
In May 2012, Pat Metheny and his guitar-maker Linda Manzer received an award for innovative thinking and design at the Tribeca Film Festival. Metheny and Manzer created the 42-string Pikasso guitar in 1984.
[audio:http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2012_08/Diaa_Bekheet_Pat_Metheny_JazzBeat_july2011.mp3]The Pikasso has a special feature known as “The Wedge,” a tapered body shape that makes the side closest to the player thinner than the side that rests on the player’s knee. That design makes the top lean back toward the player for a more aerial view of the strings.
Click here for my Pat Metheny profile and interview (mp3) (from last year about his music, guitar design, and more).
