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SUBJECT:	Drummers in the Pat Metheny Group Back to Subjects
djangocat Mar 25 2022 at 9:51 AM	There’s a very good article on the All About Jazz website called "Phase Dancing: Gottlieb, Wertico, Sanchez—The Art Of Drumming In The Pat Metheny Group". There are interviews with those drummers and more. Very interesting.
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MarcNebo May 10 2022 at 11:56 PM	facing west : The first time I heard Pat with Billy Higgins was in May of 1984. Pat, Billy and Charlie Haden were at the Jazz Showcase (Chicago). I remember it being pretty much like the record, but it was thirty-eight years ago. Also the owner of the Jazz Showcase always was a huge Be Bop fan, so he didn’t like it when musicians played Jazz Fusion. There are a lot of funny stories about him telling musicians to "play real music". The second time I saw Billy with Pat was in SoCal at the Coach House on October 28, 1993. Pat wanted to introduce Joshua Redman to his fans, so he did a record and tour. The band was Pat, Joshua, Billy and I believe Christian McBride. I do remember Pat, Joshua and Christian playing the melody of a song during their solo. Not to be outdone Billy played the melody on the drums and cymbals. I think he did it one-handed. What I do remember about Billy during both shows he smiled the entire time. I found some good photos that I took at the Jazz Showcase gig. I am going to check out the Pat Metheny Database to see if there is a Set List for both of those shows.
facing west May 10 2022 at 12:27 PM	Marc, I’m curious about your experience seeing Pat play live with Billy Higgins. I think in the interview with Rick Beato Pat says that he regrets how his Haden / Higgins trio album was recorded by Manfred Eicher and the band sounded totally different live. There is a concert on YouTube, recorded in Antibes, France, and it’s a real trip. At one point Billy switches to stringed instruments and lays down some vocals (a la Nana Vasconcelos). That trio was something special.
MarcNebo May 09 2022 at 8:05 AM	facing west : Pat has played with most of the best drummers in Jazz. At last count I have seen eleven drummers live with Pat including Jack DeJohnette and Billy Higgins. I have heard a lot more who have recorded with Pat and after sorting it out many times I agree with you Antonio is my pick also. He has total control of his huge drumkit and cymbals, as well as his four limbs. A real joy to hear and watch.
facing west May 06 2022 at 8:51 PM	If I had to pick one drummer from the history of the band, I would have to go with Antonio. His otherworldly chops and ability to elevate everyone around him make him virtually untouchable. And Pat has played with some incredible drummers all the way back to Bob Moses.
MarcNebo Apr 23 2022 at 8:28 AM	I have Pat Metheny The Unity Sessions DVD and CD. The other night I watched it again. I have all the DVDs from Pat’s website Store and this is the only one that isn’t a live recording. There is a song on it called Go Get It, that is a duet with Pat and Antonio. First it’s a really intense song and second it shows Antonio’s huge drumkit and "forest of cymbals" . Incredible playing by both Pat and Antonio. Go Get It is also on The Unity Sessions CD, so if you have it check it out. The Bonus Interviews on the DVD were excellent with everybody talking about working with Pat and what a great musician and person he is. They said the became very close friends during several intensive tours. I think it was Chris Potter who said they were sad after the final show and thought they should get together again and just travel somewhere on Pat’s Tour Bus. Guilio said he really enjoyed riding on the tour bus because it gently rocked him to sleep.
yossarian Apr 15 2022 at 7:47 PM	I loved that ATJ article. So much history in it, so many reminiscences, trips to Switzerland to check out cymbals etc. Love all that. I remember as a youngster going to see the PMG in the 1980s and without fail just drinking in the sight of that drumkit with the ’cymbal forest’. Just got you going way before the start of the gig. You knew you were going to witness something special. I’ve loved all the PMG drummers.. they each brought the perfect vibe to the band at that stage in its evolution. Each were perfect dynamically - brought the fire and the silence on cue and ... those cymbals.
MarcNebo Apr 06 2022 at 11:56 AM	The one big thing I learned from the article is that the cymbals in the PMG sound where very important. Especially the Flat Ride Cymbal, with Danny Gottlieb getting two Flat Ride Cymbals. He realized that Bob Moses used three Flat Rides on Bright Size Life. Next Paul Wertico got two Flat Ride Cymbals because he heard Danny using them. Then Antonio realized Paul was using the Flat Rides and used two with the PMG. I always noticed when I saw all three PMG drummers live that their Drumkits were large and they also had a lot of cymbals. Antonio’s setup looks like two drummers setups. He used to have a list and photo of his PMG setup at his website. Wish I could find it again. I always loved that Pat would let the drummers do a solo in his live shows.
Dudely Apr 04 2022 at 10:44 AM	It’s half about the cymbals!!!
facing west Mar 31 2022 at 5:49 PM	What a wonderful article. Very informative and insightful. You get a sense of the incredibly high standards set by Pat, and the hard work, heart and soul that went into creating some of the greatest music of the modern era. Thank you for posting.
Antoñete Mar 29 2022 at 3:09 PM	Thank you and ranhiu for posting this article. Probably one of the best I’ve ever read about Pat’s music. Great work, from the journalist, and great answers by these outstanding drummers.
MarcNebo Mar 28 2022 at 6:30 PM	I didn’t finish my sentence in the previous Post. Article available at All About Jazz website.
MarcNebo Mar 26 2022 at 10:16 PM	djangocat I agree it’s a great article. A friend of mine sent me the link knowing that I am a huge Pat and drummer fan. I learned a lot and also confirmed my thoughts on the PMG and its three drummers. Again I saw the Pat quote "The drummer is the leader of every band." My way of looking at is the band is on the bus, but the drummer is driving the bus. He knows the destination, but he is picking the route by adjusting to everything around him and everything going on. Interesting how Danny Gottlieb mentions picking up on Bob Moses using a Flat Ride cymbal on Bright Size Life and adding two to his setup. Then Paul does the same followed by Antonio. Also Pat told each new drummer not to play like their predecessor, but bring their own sound to the group. I think all three were excellent drummers, but Antonio is still my favorite. Checkout the article, it’s very informative. at
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