I listened to all but one Pat Metheny album in chronological order last month. (I couldn’t track down the 1996 soundtrack of Passaggio per il paradiso.) Beginning with Bright Size Life from 1976 and ending with last year’s From This Place, the process deepened my appreciation of the extraordinary multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader from Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
The time-consuming endeavor was anything but routine. Very few musicians possess Metheny’s astounding range. His sonic palette includes straight-ahead swing, avant-garde freakouts, smooth jazz, dauntless jazz-rock, delicate ambiance and aggressive noise. The Orchestrion is among the bold innovations further distinguishing his inventive genius.
Metheny’s creative restlessness is astounding. His first 11 albums bear little resemblance to one another. A reluctance to repeat himself is in keeping with a longstanding embrace of extremes. He’s best known in popular culture for playing pretty music with delicate sensitivity, but harsh bursts of cacophony remain an integral element of his repertoire.
The albums are sorted into four groups of comparable size based entirely on my personal preferences. The listing in each set is alphabetical. My methodology is an easy way out, but for the record, my top Metheny album is the (mostly) straight-ahead trio masterpiece Rejoicing. The Pat Metheny Group’s (mostly) smooth We Live Here is my least favorite effort.
The rankings reflect my admiration for Metheny’s recent recordings. It’s entirely possible his best work is yet to come. Road to the Sun, an album featuring collaborations with the classical guitarist Jason Vieax and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet as well as an interpretation of Arvo Pärt’s “Für Alina,” will be released on March 5.
Top Tier
Pat Metheny- 80/81 (1980)
Pat Metheny- Bright Size Life (1976)
Pat Metheny- Kin (2014)
Pat Metheny Group- Offramp (1982)
Pat Metheny Group- Pat Metheny Group (1978)
Pat Metheny- Question and Answer (1990)
Pat Metheny- Rejoicing (1984)
Pat Metheny Group- Secret Story (1992)
Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman- Song X (1986)
Pat Metheny- Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, Volume 20 (2013)
Pat Metheny- Tokyo Day Trip (2008)
Pat Metheny Trio- Live (2000)
Second Tier
Pat Metheny- A Map of the World (1999)
Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays- As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981)
Cuong Vu and Pat Metheny- Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny (2016)
Pat Metheny- Day Trip (2008)
Pat Metheny and John Scofield- I Can See Your House from Here (1994)
Jim Hall and Pat Metheny- Jim Hall and Pat Metheny (1999)
Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)
Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project (2013)
Pat Metheny Group- Quartet (1996)
Pat Metheny- The Unity Sessions (2016)
Pat Metheny- Watercolors (1977)
Third Tier
Pat Metheny Trio- 99-00 (2000)
Pat Metheny Group- American Garage (1979)
Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden- Beyond the Missouri Sky (1997)
Pat Metheny- From This Place (2020)
Pat Metheny- New Chautauqua (1979)
Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau- Quartet (2007)
Pat Metheny Group- The Road to You (1993)
Pat Metheny Group- Travels (1983)
Pat Metheny- Unity Band (2012)
Pat Metheny Group- The Way Up (2005)
Pat Metheny- What’s It All About (2011)
Bottom Tier
Pat Metheny Group- The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
Pat Metheny Group- First Circle (1984)
Pat Metheny Group- Imaginary Day (1997)
Pat Metheny Group- Letter From Home (1989)
Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau- Metheny/Mehldau (2006)
Pat Metheny- One Quiet Night (2003)
Pat Metheny Group- Speaking of Now (2002)
Pat Metheny Group- Still Life (Talking) (1987)
Pat Metheny and Anna Maria Jopek- Upojenie (2008)
Pat Metheny Group- We Live Here (1995)
Pat Metheny- Zero Tolerance for Silence (1994)