Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+

Pat Metheny occupies a singular place in jazz history. With over 20 million records sold, three gold albums, and 20 Grammy Awards across 10 different categories—a record unmatched by any other artist—he has achieved a level of crossover popularity rarely seen in jazz. An NEA Jazz Master and DownBeat Hall of Fame inductee, he is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation. Like Thelonious Monk, he has always gone his own way, as demonstrated by his adventurous collaboration with Ornette Coleman. Unlike Monk, however, he has never been able to resist a gorgeous, hummable melody—and that is not a criticism.

To mark this release, Metheny has launched a new imprint, Uniquity Music, which will serve as home to his entire back catalogue from 1986 onwards—four decades of work, including Coleman recordings—as well as new material going forward.

Side-Eye is Metheny's mentorship-driven ensemble project, inspired by his own early experiences playing with Gary Burton. The rotating-band format is designed to inject younger musicians' energy into the music, keeping performances unpredictable and pushing Metheny himself out of any risk of creative complacency. The core trio features Chris Fishman on keyboards and Joe Dyson on drums.

Side-Eye III+ expands significantly on the trio format. As Metheny explains, "Once I got in the studio with the guys, I realized that while the trio concept was perfect for us as a live ensemble, the music I had written was asking for something bigger. That is where the '+' comes in." The album adds 15. musicians to the core trio, including bassist Daryl Johns, harpist Brandee Younger, percussionist Luis Conte, and a vocal ensemble led by Mark Kibble of Take 6. The result is a richly-layered sound drawing on gospel, folk-jazz, and orchestral textures—a bridge between the fusion of the 1970s and the jazz-hip-hop hybridisation of the 2020s.

Metheny's playing remains pin-sharp throughout. His improvisations are characteristically lyrical—melodic lines woven at speed over a rhythm section that shifts and adapts around him. What the younger musicians bring is rhythmic urgency; Metheny locks into polyrhythms in ways that feel less pastoral than his 1990s work; more alert and responsive.

Several tracks stand out. "On It" opens with Metheny in full flight—fast, lyrical improvisation over a driving rhythm section that builds relentlessly before a sudden halt, a change of tone, and a new rhythmic world of echoing textures and drum rhapsody takes over. "Don't Look Down" showcases his gift for melodic narrative, with Fishman's solo following the central theme as if lit by his leader's example. "Make a New World" is the album's most irresistible melody—the kind that sends people out humming, regardless of Metheny's more avant-garde ambitions. "Urban and Western" is a bluesy, captivating groove, and "Our Old Street," featuring Younger's harp, is a study in restrained nostalgia that only just avoids tipping into sentimentality.

One caveat: Metheny is undeniably the album's centre of gravity—and he knows it. While the Side-Eye concept is nominally about giving space to younger musicians, he might do well to trust them a little more. The ensemble is talented enough to hold the stage without him. Giving them room to breathe would only strengthen what is already a vital and accomplished record.