Metheny tapped Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, hailed by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation,” to perform his four-movement solo guitar suite Four Paths Of Light, which opens the album. It’s followed by the landmark centerpiece Road To The Sun, a six-movement cycle for fellow Grammy-award winners Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) – described by Metheny as “one of the best bands in the world.”
The performers of these two
works for classical guitar have voiced what has long been hiding in
plain sight; in addition to his accomplishments as a bandleader and
performer, Pat Metheny is one of the most important composers of our
time.
“Originally, I came to composing
as a way of expanding my reach as an improviser,” says Metheny.
“Improvising and composing are related activities that happen at wildly
different temperatures. But at the same time, ideally the kinds of
things that I love as a listener and a music lover are what I aspire to
represent, regardless of how they come to be.” There are aspects of
Metheny’s own unique and innovative guitar style woven throughout these
compositions, not the least being the joyous melodic content that has
distinguished so much of Metheny’s work.
Over
nearly half a century, across an unprecedented range, the common thread
in Metheny’s music is that it is unmistakably his. No matter the
setting, within a few notes, you know it is Pat Metheny. And with Road
To The Sun, the depth of his personal conception is presented in a
context that is as clarifying as it is bracing.
First
bursting onto the international scene in 1974, Pat Metheny’s unbounded
musical range is nearly without peer. Over the years, he has performed
with artists as diverse as Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock
and David Bowie, while seamlessly projecting his own identity regardless
of setting. He is the only artist to be awarded Grammys in 12 different
categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz
Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, and Best Instrumental
Composition, among others.
“It’s a big
pleasure and honor to welcome Pat Metheny to Modern Recordings. Since
his first album in 1976 he has developed a unique career as a musician,
composer and as an artist, who has been always searching for new musical
experiences. I am excited that he follows this path on his new album
Road to the Sun, which opens another new chapter in his oeuvre.”
- Pat Metheny, classical guitar
- Members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
- Jason Vieaux, classical guitar
Pat Metheny
