October 8, 2002
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

The premier electric jazz band the Pat Metheny Group
to perform at UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• Pat Metheny Group
• Speaking of Now Tour
• Pat Metheny is a fourteen-time Grammy Award-winner
• One of the most acclaimed jazz guitarists of his generation
• Sunday, November 17 / 7 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General: $45/$40, UCSB students: $25 (limited availability)
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535

The Pat Metheny Group, one of the most acclaimed and influential musical ensembles of the past quarter century, will perform as part of its Speaking of Now Tour on Sunday, November 17 at 7 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Founded in 1977 by Pat Metheny, the group has traveled the world, playing sold out concerts in more than 40 countries. Pat Metheny is a fourteen-time Grammy Award-winner, having garnered an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums. Calling the group “the pre-eminent electric jazz band,” The Jersualem Post writes, “Speaking of Now is yet another Metheny product with every corner polished until it sparkles brightly in the more accessible areas of the jazz firmament...one should never underestimate Metheny’s arranging skills or artistic intent.”

Pat Metheny was born in Kansas City on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. By the age of 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, and in 1974 Metheny burst onto the international jazz scene beginning a three-year stint with vibraphone great Gary Burton. Metheny has gone on to record over 25 albums in a variety of settings, from the fuller Pat Metheny Group, which always features keyboardist Lyle Mays, to trio work to a soundtrack for the film A Map of the World. Metheny has worked with many of the most acclaimed artists of the past two decades: Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Joshua Redman, Steve Reich, David Bowie, Charlie Haden, Milton Nacimento and Trilok Gurtu, to name only a few.

Metheny is also well known for his teaching and his pioneering work in music technology. He has been the youngest teacher ever at the University of Miami and the Berklee College of Music. He has taught music workshops all over the world, from the Dutch Royal Conservatory to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz to clinics in Asia and South America. Metheny was one of the very first jazz musicians to treat the synthesizer as a serious musical instrument. Years before the invention of MIDI technology, Metheny used the Synclavier as a composing tool. He also been instrumental in the development of several new kinds of guitars such as the soprano acoustic guitar, the 42-string Pikasso guitar, Ibanez’s PM-100 jazz guitar and a variety of other custom instruments.

The Pat Metheny Group currently features the same line-up that recorded the Speaking of Now CD. Keyboardist Lyle Mays has been an integral part of the Pat Metheny Group since its inception and co-writes many of the compositions. Acoustic and electric bassist Steve Rodby, in addition to his other performances and recordings, has also been a member of the Pat Metheny Trio. Percussionist and vocalist Richard Bona, originally from Cameroon, joins the group after a stellar career working with the Joe Zawinul, Harry Belafonte and others. Trumpeter and vocalist Cuong Vu, originally from Vietnam, comes from the downtown Manhattan jazz scene centered at the famous Knitting Factory. Drummer Antonio Sanchez, originally from Mexico, has worked with Danilo Perez, Marcus Roberts and others.

Together the Pat Metheny Group wows audiences. The Los Angeles Times wrote after a recent concert, “Metheny’s great versatility and the important contributions of the group’s new members resulted in a stirring evening of music—convincing testimony to the fact that there are adventure and audience appeal in jazz that reach well beyond the classic styles of the ‘40s and ‘50s.”

Pat Metheny Group is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Goleta Valley Voice, KCLU Public Radio and Borders Books. Tickets are $45 and $40 for the general public and $25, but in limited availability, for UCSB students.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.