CD Reviews: Pat Metheny, Mose Allison, and More

The press kit for Pat Methenys Orchestrion promises that the album redefines solo performance, and for once, that isnt just gently perfumed publicist smoke being blown up your ass its the Gods honest truth. Entranced by the orchestrion, a mechanical instrument array that surfaced in the late 19th century, Metheny enlisted a small army of inventors to help him bring the concept into the modern era. The result is this five-track, 52-minute collection, which finds Metheny quite literally running the show both as the leader of the mechanical band, operated via solenoid switches and pneumatics, and as the master guitarist whos ruled the jazz airwaves for the last quarter century or so.

In theory, its pretty amazing stuff which is why its a little disappointing that, on record, Methenys one-man-band approach sounds an awful lot like the Pat Metheny Group. Watching him assemble these songs is an undeniable kick take a look at the below video for proof but melodically and rhythmically, the orchestrion inspires Metheny in disappointingly subtle ways. Unless youre really a student of his music, you arent going to hear anything here that you havent heard from Metheny before; this is, I suppose, a testament to how seamlessly he was able to incorporate his art into such an unusual framework, but once you see all the interesting musical angles that went into its construction, you expect Orchestrion to stick a little on the way down, and its unrelenting smoothness cant help feeling like a letdown. And yes, Metheny and smooth go hand in hand but when you read that an album was recorded with a mechanically operated room full of instruments that includes several pianos, drum kit, marimbas, guitar-bots, dozens of percussion instruments and even cabinets of carefully tuned bottles, well, its hard not to expect something a little wild and funky. If youre a fan, purchase Orchestrion without reservation; if you arent, its doubtful anything here will change your mind.