Monkeys on a String - Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Tribute

Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny was born in Kansas City on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of 8, Metheny switched to guitar at age 12. By the age of 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, receiving valuable on-the-bandstand experience at an unusually young age. Metheny first burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974. Over the course of his three-year stint with vibraphone great Gary Burton, the young Missouri native already displayed his soon-to-become trademarked playing style, which blended the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility - a way of playing and improvising that was modern in conception but grounded deeply in the jazz tradition of melody, swing, and the blues. With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), he reinvented the traditional "jazz guitar" sound for a new generation of players. Throughout his career, Pat Metheny has continued to re-define the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument. Metheny's versatility is almost nearly without peer on any instrument. Over the years, he has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman to Herbie Hancock to Jim Hall to Milton Nascimento to David Bowie. He has been part of a writing team with keyboardist Lyle Mays for more than twenty years - an association that has been compared to the Lennon/McCartney and Ellington/Strayhorn partnerships by critics and listeners alike. Metheny's body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras, and ballet pieces, with settings ranging from modern jazz to rock to classical. As well as being an accomplished musician, Metheny has also participated in the academic arena as a music educator. At 18, he was the youngest teacher ever at the University of Miami. At 19, he became the youngest teacher ever at the Berklee College of Music, where he also received an honorary doctorate more than twenty years later (1996). He has also 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. He has also been a true musical pioneer in the realm of electronic music, and 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 was using 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. It is one thing to attain popularity as a musician, but it is another to receive the kind of acclaim Metheny has garnered from critics and peers. Over the years, Metheny has won countless polls as "Best Jazz Guitarist" and awards, including three gold records for (Still Life) Talking, Letter from Home, and Secret Story. He has also won 17 Grammy Awards spread out over a variety of different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums. Metheny has spent most of his life on tour, averaging between 120-240 shows a year since 1974. At the time of this writing, he continues to be one of the brightest stars of the jazz community, dedicating time to both his own projects and those of emerging artists and established veterans alike, helping them to reach their audience as well as realizing their own artistic visions.

Moonchild

Moonchild is a combination of three multi instrumentalists - Amber Navran [vocals, tenor saxophone, flute, keyboards, synth bass, drum programming], Andris Mattson [trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, synth bass, guitar, drum programming], and Max Bryk [alto saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, synth bass, drum programming]. The resulting union yields an ever-evolving fusion of alternative R&B, jazz, and neo-soul. They all participate equally in writing, producing, tracking, and mixing their records, keeping the spirit of collaboration alive as they grow and transform as one. “Our chemistry as writers was pretty instantaneous from the start,” explains Andris. “The first tune we came up with, we all sat on a piano bench together and wrote as a unit. Nowadays, each of us has our own studio setup and are constantly making beats and writing songs on our own. We’ll often send each other emails of beats we made and then get together to expand them into full songs. We have so much trust in each other during the writing process.” As Moonchild, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts—never more so than on their fourth full-length, Little Ghost.After that first shared piano bench session at the University of Southern California, the group unveiled their debut Be Free in 2012. Please Rewind followed three years later, and 2017’s Voyager saw them ascend to new critical peaks. NPR Music touted the record among, “Five R&B Albums You Slept On In 2017,” and JAZZ FM named them “Soul Act of the Year” for 2018. “Cure” toppled 8 million Spotify streams, and “The List” exceeded 7 million plays on Youtube. Along the way, the trio performed headline shows everywhere from the United States and Europe to Asia, and supported other tours for the likes of The Internet, Kamasi Washington, and more. As they began writing and recording Little Ghost in 2018, they continued to seek out new sounds and textures. While laying down tracks at Lake Arrowhead, Andris dove further into the guitar, incorporating it at the core of the new music. “The three of us are always experimenting with new programs and gear and trying to improve our craft individually,” he goes on. “I’ve been so into guitar, so that’s a big shift from previous Moonchild albums. The acoustic and ukulele really expanded our sound. The keyboard-driven sounds and horns are still there, but they’re intertwined with guitar.” “The evolution connects to the title,” adds Amber. “At the end of a star’s life, the gas expands into space and leaves a really beautiful nebula, and there is one up there called Little Ghost. We thought it was a cool concept of expansion, mirroring what we were doing as a group.” The first single “Too Much To Ask” illuminates that expansion. Andris pairs an electric piano patch with the guitar and ukulele over a skittering groove as Amber’s raspy delivery rolls from a near-whisper to a soulful swoon.“It’s about realizing you’re in a relationship with someone who’s halfway out the door – who doesn’t care like you do,” she says. “Often you come to that realization one hint at a time, with the all little things they don’t do.”Eliciting a raucous reaction by playing horns together live, the band “incorporated more horns than ever before,” according to Max. Not only do horn solos blare and bounce through “Money” and “Come Over,” but they kickstart the momentum on the opener “Wise Women” where jazz-y shakers and hi-hats give way to a breathy clarion call for female empowerment as Amber sings, “Go on and prove them wrong.” “‘Wise Women’ is just about making things happen for yourself and not waiting for opportunities to come to you,” she elaborates.Ukulele and piano converge for a dreamy dynamic on “The Other Side,” while everything concludes on the sweeping string outro of “Still Wonder.” It serves as a cinematic send-off befitting of the 14-track journey.“Writing together is ultimately therapeutic,” Amber leaves off. “I hope we give listeners something they can relate to and find comfort in. It’s what music does for us.”“We were obsessed with crafting this record,” concludes Max. “It got us really excited every day. Maybe it can inspire others to pursue their own art or anything that makes them feel good.”

A Man Named Cash

A Man Named Cash