Hello! As you might have guessed by checking out the various posts over the last few weeks, I'm trying to focus on a different instrument each week. This was going to be Bass Week, and I was looking for good video of bassist Christian McBride. But then I found this YouTube video of McBride with guitarist Pat Metheny and drummer Antonio Sanchez, recorded at the Lugano Jazz festival in Switzerland. The tune is Metheny's "James," inspired by folk singer James Taylor.
If you're a guitarist and you don't know Pat Metheny's music, you should really check it out. He's a brilliant composer and performer. He writes great tunes that I think will eventually become jazz standards - they're fun to play on. McBride is as hip to playing funk as he is straight ahead jazz, and in this video he's on fretless bass. He and percussionist Sanchez lay down a fantastic groove over which Metheny and McBride each take great solos.
Listen to the interplay between the three of them, especially during Metheny's guitar solo. When Pat starts playing busy lines, Sanchez and McBride reply in kind. When it's time for the bass and drums to lay out a bit and leave more room for Pat to develop things, they pull back just enough so the energy in the music doesn't fall too much. McBride finishes his solo with a bit of the melody line right before they play the tune out.
The way they work together in this recording is a good reminder that listening isn't just an activity you do as part of your practice regimen - it's what you have to do every time you make music, whether it's in the practice room or on stage at a jazz festival. The more you listen to everything, the better your ears will get at hearing the details.
Musician websites: Pat Metheny's site is www.patmetheny.com. Christian McBride has a great website also, and Antonio Sanchez can be found at www.antoniosanchez.net. Check them out!
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