Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Pat Metheny's Orchestrion Project

Pat Metheny introcduced his upcoming Orchestrion Project on his website recently. He described it as a "leap into new territory" and something "particularly connected to the reality of this unique period in time." But reading the description, it sounds like something connected to the reality of another time. From what I gather, he's playing acoustic instruments mechanically using technology developed for his purposes. To be fair, he adds a postscript to the effect of you have to hear it to believe it, but to me, a mechanical band sounds like some relic of the industrial revolution. Like it should debut at the next world's fair. Even if it's updated technologically, it still seems decidedly low tech. It seems to me this "moment in time" is about digital, more than mechanical innovation. I'd like to have Pat elaborate on what he means when he says "this moment in time". I do respect Pat Metheny, musically as well as intellectually, so I'll wait and see.

Update: Someone in an All About Jazz discussion forum on the Orchestrion thing posted a link to this video. This has (I hope) nothing to do with what Pat's up to, but I had to reproduce the link because this video had me mesmerized. Between the megaphone, the giant Karaoke screen and the freaky-ass dancing all around, the giant drum machine/medieval torture device is keeping a pretty low profile.

11 comments:

  1. I don't think pat ever dissapointed us and i'm sure he won't with this project! ;)

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  2. So, you haven't heard it, seen it, or played it but it's a relic? Genius executes, pedestrians blog.

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  3. I think Pat might be going over the deep end with this one. Then again, I thought he lost it back in the 90's when he released "Zero Tolerance for Silence".

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  4. I'd almost forgotten about "Zero Tolerance"
    Man, that was unlistenable and incomprehensible. At least it was pure from an artistic integrity standpoint. The worst is when a brilliant artist puts an album out that's awful because it's an experiment in trying to create something consciously watered down to see if they can make something with commercial appeal. Pat has albums that flirt with this extreme as well. His saving grace is that there is always a sense of sincerity in all his work, whether it's good or bad

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  5. I was at the "Sign Of Four" concert at the Knitting Factory with Derek Bailey, Greg Bendian and Paul Wertico. If you think ZTFS is dense and incomprehensible, give that double CD a try.

    All I can say is that after listening to Pat and Derek strum furiously or about an hour, the silence was a relief. It wasn't the worst thing I have ever heard (I reserve that for the latest top 40 cupcake the music machine spits out next week), but I will say this : I'll never regret the experience of being there in front of all that energy.

    I have tickets for the Poughkeepsie show in May.

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  6. I've been a Metheny fan forever. I just dropped two hundred bucks for a pair of seats to Pat's show at the Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. I've read everything I can find on this project... The upcoming release and tour. I still don't know what I'm getting into. I can't imagine that Pat will disappoint. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of the all-time greats has found a new and innovative way to deliver. I have high hopes.

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  7. For a solo gig Pat would obviously prefer playing with mechanical real instruments as it will acoustically sound more ALIVE on stage with him than say extra sampled sounds coming from loud speakers....
    However this where Pat misses the point... He gets a great acoustic sound for himself onstage, but if you are at the gig too far back to pick up any acoustically generated sound I don't see the point. So to totally appreciate what Pat is experiencing you would practically have to be onstage with him, otherwise you'll just be hearing the mechanical instruments sounds coming through the PA which will sound just like any another midi controlled instruments.
    No wonder he is trying to be so clever but so vague at explaining it...

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  8. I agree...
    Total Gimmick. Pat's just showing off his train set that's normally kept in the spare room.

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  9. As the Director of LEMUR, the group that created most of the instruments for the Orchestrion, I was thrilled to be a part of this project. For music by other artists on LEMUR's other instruments, check out videos at lemurbots dot org.

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  10. just got my copy of 'Orchestrion', if like me, you were turned on by 'The Way Up', have no fear, Pat has done something else that most people would say is just a self-indulgent gimmick. But, LISTEN, he plays from both heart and head, think about what you're hearing, another step down Pat's road to the ultimate music, will he ever reach it? Who cares, as long as he keeps trying! I love it!

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  11. There is another side to this... the PM group are probably tired of Pats insatiable desire to tour (especially Lyle), so he gets a robot band.
    How some fools belive that he is triggering it all himself in real time I'll never know? However, I'd love to hear it in action up close even though most of it is being triggered by pre recorded midi. To the audience at the back of the hall the orchestrion may as well be a backing tape.

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