Trio 99–00: Pat Metheny, Larry Grenadier, and Bill Stewart
by Hank Williams

So, what would you do? Imagine yourself as one of the biggest names in jazz guitar, ending a nearly two-year-long world tour promoting your latest CD, which, by the way, won two Grammy Awards. Would you take a break and relax, maybe sleep in a few days, or go right back to work?

Presumably Pat Matheny asked himself that question sometime last year, and, fortunately for jazz fans, he went back to work. The result has been a movie soundtrack (A Map of the World), an excellent collaboration with fellow guitarist Jim Hall (Jim Hall & Pat Metheny), and his latest effort, Trio 99-00.

Trio 99-00 finds Metheny revisiting a familiar format, but one that we don’t see from him very often. Bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Bill Stewart complete the trio. Metheny’s main gig is, of course, the Pat Metheny Group. On the Imaginary Day tour, the group had expanded: Metheny, keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Steve Rodby, and Drummer Paul Wertico were joined by percussionist/vocalists Mark Ledford and David Blamires. The result was not too far removed from the traditional PMG sound and successful: Imaginary Day earned the group two Grammy Awards, including one for the best rock instrumental.

While taking a break from touring with the group, Metheny decided to get together with Grenadine and Stewart. The trio is on a world tour this year, and recently completed a week’s worth of dates at the Knitting Factory here in New York.

It’s good to see Matheny return to the trio setting, and the result is similar to earlier efforts, like Question and Answer with Dave Holland and Roy Haynes. While Metheny has his own distinctive sound, the trio provides a more intimate feel and a different overall sound than recordings of the PMG.

While similar in sound to Question and Answer, Trio 99-00 is distinct. For starters, Grenadine and Stewart are more understated players than Holland and Haynes so there’s no doubt that Metheny is leading this trio. On the other hand, Holland has a few dynamite bass solos on Q&A and I found myself wanting some of the same here. Having said that, the two form a solid backup to Metheny, and Stewart’s drumming is well suited to a trio setting.
The effect is a set of recordings that are more introspective. Metheny’s an extremely versatile and creative artist, usually expressed in the form of the PMG’s trademark abstract “vocals,” heavy use of percussion, and various sound effects that often find them pushing the limits of jazz fusion.

The trio setting is a return to a simpler, though extremely satisfying, form of jazz that allows the players room to improvise and explore without getting lost in the crowd, so to speak. It’s always a special treat to hear Metheny on acoustic guitar, and he uses it for a few songs, including an interesting interpretation of his own “Travels.”

There are a few more surprises on the CD also: covers of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and Wayne Shorter’s “Capricorn.” Metheny rarely does covers of songs: standards or otherwise, but the results are usually impressive. “Capricorn” is interesting, and an innovative interpretation; “Giant Steps” is excellent.

As odd as it sounds, it’s sometimes easy to overlook just how good a guitar player Metheny actually is when he’s in the setting of the Group. That’s partly because he surrounds himself with other good players: the rest of the members are accomplished performers in their own right.

There’s also a lot more going on, so to speak in the group: percussion, bass, guitar, keyboards, etc. With a trio, it’s easier to key in on the different elements. You can concentrate on the bassist or drummer for a while and not worry about missing a good keyboard line or short guitar solo.

This adds up to an impressive effort and a pleasing CD that displays Metheny’s artistic range and imagination. It’s one that probably deserves a spot in contemporary jazz fans’ collections, and may widen Metheny’s fan base to include listeners who aren’t normally attracted to his form of jazz fusion. That’s a good thing because Metheny likes to explore, and while you’re never sure exactly where the journey will take you, it’s usually worth the trip.