Pat Metheny – Side-Eye III+

Side-Eye III+ finds Pat Metheny doing what he’s always done best: reinventing his own language with a new generation of players. The Side-Eye concept pairs Metheny with younger, fiercely creative musicians, and this chapter feels like a live-wire laboratory where classic Metheny colors collide with sharp-edged modern jazz energy.

You get the unmistakable hallmarks—singing guitar tone, harmonies that bloom in unexpected directions, and melodies that sound simple until you try to hum them accurately. But there’s also a rawness here: grooves that lean closer to contemporary beat culture, agile drumming that never settles, and keys and textures that push Metheny into fresh rhythmic and harmonic corners.

For longtime fans, Side-Eye III+ is a chance to hear familiar sensibilities refracted through a more urgent, street-level lens. For newcomers, it’s an ideal entry point: you hear why Metheny is a towering figure in jazz, without feeling like you’re stepping into a museum piece. This is a record for listeners who want improvisation with teeth, lyricism without sentimentality, and production that rewards close listening on a good system—especially on vinyl, where the dynamics and interplay really open up.