Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+ // 67. Jazz festival Ljubljana

by #vednoaktualno | Feb 8, 2026

𝗢𝘁𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶 𝗸𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝟲𝟳. 𝗝𝗮𝘇𝘇 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗟𝗷𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝘃 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘇̌𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗵: 𝗣𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘆: 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗜𝗜𝗜+ // 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘇̌𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲

Zasedba: Pat Metheny, kitara; Chris Fishman, klavir, klaviature; Jermaine Paul, bas; Joe Dyson, bobni

Njegova glasba je nadžanrska, kar dokazujejo grammyji, ki jih je osvojil v kar desetih različnih kategorijah – od new agea, popa do countryja, največ seveda jazza – in v tem je menda edini glasbenik na svetu. Skupno ima dvajset zlatih gramofonov in tri zlate albume ter impresiven opus jazzovskih standardov.
Seveda, če sodeluješ s tako različnimi umetniki, kot so Ornette Coleman, John Zorn, Joni Mitchell in David Bowie, to od človeka zahteva elastično glasbeno vsestranskost in pripadajočo tehnično virtuoznost. Sam med najbolj navdihujoče šteje Milesa Davisa, Wesa Montgomeryja in Beatle.

Štiri desetletja Metheny ostaja ključen igralec na polju fusion jazza s širokim krogom oboževalcev, med katerimi ne razočara niti bolj nagnjenih k eksperimentu. Pri nas smo njegovemu umetniškemu razvoju dosledno sledili, na Jazz festivalu Ljubljana je z različnimi zasedbami nastopil trikrat, nazadnje pred devetimi leti. S skupino Pat Metheny Group, ki z različnimi menjavami članstva deluje že od leta 1978, je pomembno prispeval k razvoju fusion žanra in svoj značilni lirični zvok razvijal pod okriljem založbe ECM. Piše sodobno klasično in filmsko glasbo, zasanjane solistične balade, bravurozne kompozicije, kreira kanon novih standardov, obenem pa opreza za mladimi novimi glasbenimi upi, s katerimi bi delil svojo vizijo. Tako je v letu 2016, ki v ZDA za marsikoga pomeni novo štetje, ustanovil projekt Side-Eye. Ime v slengu pomeni »gledati postrani«, s skepso, nejevero ali neodobravanjem, torej tako kot po letu 2016 svet gleda na Ameriko. Med prvimi je v svoj domači studio povabil genialna glasbenika, pianista Jamesa Francisa in bobnarja Marcusa Gilmora, s katerima so posneli ploščo Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV), ter si nemudoma prislužili nominacijo za grammyja. Najnovejšo osnovo projekta Side-Eye III+ danes sestavljata Chris Fishman, pianist, ki je v prvi vrsti bobnar iz osončja Louisa Cola (Knower), in vzhajajoči bobnarski zvezdnik Joe Dyson, ki v trio vstopa z neworleanško silovitostjo in je Methenyja navdihnil, da je prav zanj napisal nekaj novih skladb. Osnovnemu neklasičnemu triu kitara-klavir-bobni se bo na ljubljanskem koncertu pridružil kalifornijski glasbeni up na basu, Jermaine Paul. Konec februarja letos bo izšel njihov najnovejši album pri novoustanovljeni založbi Pata Methenyja Uniquity Music, ki bo odslej pod streho združevala vse Methenyjeve albume od leta 1984 do nadaljnjega.

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Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+

Pat Metheny – guitar; Chris Fishman – piano, keyboards; Jermaine Paul – bass; Joe Dyson – drums

His music transcends genres, as evidenced by the Grammy Awards he has won in ten different categories – from new age, pop and country to jazz, naturally, most of them in the last named category, which makes him the only artist ever to have achieved this. He has a total of twenty gold records and three gold albums, as well as an impressive songbook of jazz standards.
It goes without saying that working with a roster of artists as diverse as Ornette Coleman, John Zorn, Joni Mitchell, and David Bowie calls for tremendous musical versatility and the corresponding technical virtuosity. He cites Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery and The Beatles as having the biggest impact on his music.

Metheny has been a key player in fusion jazz for the past four decades, with a broad community of followers, also satisfying their preferences for experimentation. We have consistently followed his artistic development, hosting Metheny with different line-ups at the Jazz Festival Ljubljana three times, most recently nine years ago. The Pat Metheny Group, active since 1978 with various changes in personnel, has decisively shaped the development of the jazz fusion genre and allowed him to evolve his distinctive lyricism under the auspices of ECM Records.

He composes contemporary classical and film music, dreamy solo ballads, and virtuoso pieces, creating a canon of new standards, while also keeping an eye out for young new talents with whom to share his vision. Thus, in 2016, which many in the US see as the advent of a new dark age, Metheny started the Side-Eye project. The name is slang for “raising an eyebrow,” being sceptical, distrustful, or disapproving, which is how the world has been looking at the US since 2016. Among the first to be invited to his home studio were two brilliant musicians, pianist James Francis and drummer Marcus Gilmore; their Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) album instantly earned a Grammy nomination.

The latest core lineup of the Side-Eye III+ project consists of Chris Fishman, a drummer-turned-pianist from the Louis Cole (Knower) orbit and the rising drumming star Joe Dyson, who brings New Orleans–style vehemence to the trio and has inspired Metheny to write several new compositions specifically for this trio. At Ljubljana Jazz Festival the non-classical guitar–piano–drums trio will be joined by Californian musical up-and-comer on bass, Jermaine Paul. Their newest album is set for release at the end of February this year on Pat Metheny’s newly founded label, Uniquity Music, which from now on will house of Metheny’s entire catalogue from 1984 and onward.