The Melbourne Festival consistently throws up wonderful surprises and this was one of the finest. A generation has passed since Metheny last visited our shores and this time he brought with him a contraption called the Orchestration to accompany the human element of The Unity Group: a mechanised beast that has to be seen to be believed.
Even in his sixtieth year, Metheny remains precocious and has not diluted his art despite a closet full of Grammy Awards and the amount of fans in attendance. Characterised by intensely melodic compositions and modified guitars, the concert provided an extraordinary insight into improvised music with clear rhythms which were perfectly executed.
Upon taking the stage, Metheny performed a solo composition accompanied by a guitar. No ordinary guitar, mind you, but an invented instrument allowing him to robustly explore the range of stringed sounds. The performance then became clearly segmented. Firstly, the quartet Unity Band played some material from their 2012 recording and some early ‘80s Metheny work. The Bat, Roofdogs, James and Folk Song #1 gave scope for all players to shine. Antonio Sanchez was exquisite on drums throughout and veteran Chris Potter also displayed some dynamism on saxophone.
Pianist Giulio Carmassi then joined the fray and The Unity Group was complete to play several current compositions from the Kin (<–>) recording. To further express the skills of the band, Metheny then took turns in playing a duet with every member of the band before closing with a couple of encores.
Upon reflection, you begin to appreciate the live efficiency of Metheny and his ability to combine academic musical application with warmth and a human edge that is not oblique but rather holds virtuoso musicianship in good stead. The symbiotic interplay between the musicians was also something to admire, as was a gifted performer being so generous with his performance. Commendable. It’s a rare set of musicians that can display such virtuosity while inspiring such quixotic comments from the audience as, ‘Why would you make the guitar sound like a saxophone when you have a saxophonist in the band?’ Why indeed.
BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS
Loved: A legend spreading out for nearly three hours.
Hated: Some audience members not having the courtesy to see out the entire show.
Drank: Abstinence.
