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— Pat Metheny, "Orchestrion" (Nonesuch)
An inveterate tinkerer who constantly imagines new soundscapes, guitarist Pat Metheny has transformed his childhood passion for his grandfather's player piano into a modern-day version of the orchestrion, a mechanical music machine with an array of orchestral instruments popular nearly a century ago.
On "Orchestrion," Metheny has taken the notion of a solo album to a new dimension through some technological wizardry. His guitar improvisations are set against a multilayered ensemble backdrop of acoustic and acousto-electric instruments — including pianos, marimba, vibraphone, basses, drums and percussion, guitarbots and blown bottles — that he mechanically controls, mostly by using solenoids, or electromagnetic coils, and pneumatics.
The problem is that Metheny has set an incredibly high bar for himself on his previous albums, particularly those with the Pat Metheny Group, which won Grammys. Metheny's guitar solos are as impressive as ever on pieces such as "Spirit of the Air" and his deft melodic touch is present in compositions like the bluesy "Soul Search." But what's missing in the ensemble sound is the human touch found in the intuitive interplay between Metheny and long-time keyboard player Lyle Mays or other PMG members.
As a concept, "Orchestrion" has limitations as a strictly audio experience compared to the guitarist's earlier work. But once the visual element is added — when Metheny goes on tour beginning in April and can be seen alone on stage playing his vast array of instruments — it should be a performance not to be missed.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: The title track is a technical tour-de-force in which Metheny creates a rich soundscape displaying all the colors and dynamic range of his "Orchestrion."
