The Racquette

Issue date: 5/7/10 Section: A&E

Pat Metheny's latest album, Orchestrion, bares the distinctly recognizable footprint found on previous work by the jazz guitarist/composer, but there's a hidden twist; what sounds like an entire ensemble of musicians is really a carefully orchestrated performance by Metheny alone.

Through his exposure as a child to a player piano owned by his Grandfather, Metheny was inspired to find a way to control other acoustic instruments rather than trigger pre-recorded samples. He worked several engineers to realize the solenoid systems for each of the instruments he wished to include in his next album.

Through the use of solenoid transducer technology and age-old Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) technology, Metheny is able to trigger a wide variety of instruments ranging from drums and cymbals to marimbas and pianos through the use of his guitar and a MIDI controller.

While one might expect the musical result to be incredibly mechanical or robotic, Metheny manages to make it groove beyond comprehension. It's quite possible that even an experienced musician would have absolutely no idea that the accompanying ensemble wasn't comprised entirely of human musicians.

Orchestrion is comprised of five tracks ranging in length from the 7:45 closer, "Spirit of the Air," to the 15:48 opener, "Orchestrion." The first track serves as a bit of an overture to the album, displaying the timbral palette from which the rest of the album will be painted. Metheny's use of harmony lines and doubling among the accompanying instruments creates a rich sonic texture, which is often characteristic of his compositions. A breakdown section featured double runs with guitar, piano and the uniquely designed "guitarbots" displays the technical capabilities of the engineering work.

The rest of the album features different instruments within the Metheny arsenal and covers different vastly different moods. "Entry Point" is a mysterious ballad full of cymbals and other metallic atmospheres that builds in orchestration until the climax where it cascades back to the sparse introduction.

In contrast, "Expansion" has a faster, straight-ahead groove while the melodic lines are quite syncopated. The tune quickly transitions to a quick bop feel while Metheny takes a solo (on his own guitar, that is.)

All mechanical and electrical design aside; Orchestrion is an incredible album that fits nicely into the Metheny discography. Die-hard Metheny fans are likely to enjoy and younger listeners sure to be drawn to the modern sound and contemporary orchestration.

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