Pat Metheny Unity Group | Press Releases

8 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
Tickets: $65, $55, $45.

Image: Pat Metheny The Pat Metheny Unity Group, led by visionary jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, performs at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, 2014 . As part of a world tour that follows the release of a brand new recording "KIN (←→)" on Nonesuch Records, the Pat Metheny Unity Group makes its only Connecticut appearance at the Quick, featuring award-winning jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, Chris Potter on woodwinds, Ben Williams on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums and multi-instrumentalist and singer Giulio Carmassi. Media sponsors are Venü magazine and WPKN (89.5 FM). Tickets are: $65, $55, and $45 .

Over the years, Pat Metheny has won countless polls as "Best Jazz Guitarist" and awards, including three gold records. He has 18 Grammy Awards spread out over a variety of different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, and Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums.

When he first burst onto the international jazz scene in the '70s as a member of vibraphone great Gary Burton's ensemble, Pat Metheny was already displaying his soon-to-become trademarked playing style, which blended loose and flexible articulation with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility. His playing and improvising 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, and he continues to re-define the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument. 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.

He 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 has 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.

Over the years, Pat Metheny has performed with such diverse artists as Joni Mitchell and Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman and Herbie Hancock, from Jim Hall and Milton Nascimento to David Bowie. And he has been part of a writing team with keyboardist Lyle Mays for more than twenty years. As well as being an accomplished musician and composer, Metheny is an experienced 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.

Tickets and subscriptions are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets will also be available online at www.quickcenter.com .

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com