Pat Metheny suggests his collaboration with the daring keyboardist James Francies and powerful drummer Eric Harland is “an organ-trio for the 21st century” in the press release for Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV). Given the Lee’s Summit native’s expansive range, it’s not surprising the new live album documents the form’s past, present and future.
The trio pays faithful homage to the established organ trio tradition on a groovy version of Ornette Coleman’s “Turnaround.” The swinging rendition of “Timeline” wouldn’t sound out of place at Kansas City’s mainstream jazz hub Green Lady Lounge. “Timeline” isn’t the only vintage Metheny track given a treatment on the new live album.
The trio revisits the first two tracks from Bright Size Life, the 1976 album on which Metheny began transforming the possibilities of jazz. While the unforgettable melodies of “Sirabhorn” and “Bright Size Life” elicit nostalgic associations, the new performances add fresh nuances to the familiar compositions. A vibrant take of the Metheny favorite “Better Days Ahead” is the best version to date.
“Lodger” is Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)’s outlier. Unlike anything Metheny has previously offered, the blustery track is in the mode of guitar heroes such as Jeff Beck and Gary Moore. It’s shocking to hear the trailblazing artist follow an established blues-rock formula on a composition seemingly based on Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.”
“It Starts When We Disappear” and “Zenith Blue” bookend Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV). With inflections of electronica- as well as shades of Metheny’s revolutionary Orchestrion- the most thrilling moments of the extended tracks acknowledge the past, add vitality to the present and blaze a trail to an even more tantalizing future.