ere a et et a a oe page 10 THE OTHER PRESS November 9th, 1984 sunday night with Metheny Once again, a Vancouver audience was treated to an evening with the Pat Metheny Group, continuing an annual tradition of bringing to us perhaps the by Sean Schonfeld most original sound in progressive jazz. They have followed a good formula: first, put on to vinyl songs that can only get better with time, and will always interest the new fan: and then, once you've established a solid foun- dation and a strong following, your newer, maybe weirder material will be better accepted. People will always return to hear the new stuff as long as they expect a good dose of the older favourites. Regardless of whether this formula has been consciously followed by the P.M.G., they have done it with style, and their popularity is in- creasing. So, as always, the group played to an eager, appreciative, and packed Q.E. crowd on the 28th, but broke tradition by playing Phase Dance as the second song: Forward March, from the new First Circle |.p., was the show opener. The band members approach- ed the stage, while the house lights were still on, from the wings and the aisles, playing a very off-key, off- tempo, spacey march that was meant to be funny, and was. Out of Phase Dance into some others: Yolanda You Learn, The First Circle, Tell it All (from their latest), James, and Are You Going With Me? (from Offramp), plus ‘’a few new ones with no names,’’ and a slow Metheny-style We Can Work it Out that they ‘‘just learned a couple days ago.’’ For the encore, it was the favourite, the title cut from ‘78's American Garage. No surprises there. The lineup has changed, though, since the ‘82 Offramp album. Pedro Aznar has replaced ‘fellow Brazilian Nana Vasconcelos on ‘extra bizarre instruments’’ and vocals. He does a good job, but Nana’s style was unique. Gone also is Dan Gottlib, replaced by Paul’ Wertico (who played too loud during Lyle Mays’ solo on San Lorenzo). But the core of the group has remained unchanged since 1980: Metheny on guitars and sitar; Mays, as he sits barricaded behing his keyboards, mixing accoustic and syn- thesized sounds with incredible, tex- tured blends; and the rock-steady bie Rodby on accoustic and electric ass. The band has fantastic control over dynamics; sometimes roaring, other times playing so softly that the noise of the few tactless photographers was painfully clear. If Pat heard those clicks during his quiet spots, he pretended not to notice. Metheny still commands the most r The Bard Speaks: Laughter Let Loose Jealousy jousted Sharp spears spoken Hearts wide open True love ousted? Laughter let loose A wild west wind For eyes to find The calm and the truce. by Robert Thomas Laurence Arnold % rapt attention during his brand of jazz guitar. Those clean, characteristic solos that never cease to amaze. Through a combination of expert organization, the use of only first-rate equipment, and his meticulous ap- proach to his art, Pat Metheny gives to his live performances the same clarity and perfection that he does on record, which is rare. Humour has also been a part of his Pat gets his kicks by playing his licks!!! shows, and during .Ornette (for O. Coleman), he did a hilarious parody of heavy metal guitarist tricks - distortion leads, thumb-slapping the strings, and super-fast vibrato - all on his guitar, synthesizer. His use of this instrume’ has been tedious in past shows, bu thankfully this time, he didn’t overdo it. If he ever wanted to dump jazz for hard pop-rock, a lot of MTV bands would be shamed. & Nominations are open on Tuesday Nov. 13 for positions on the Other Publications Society Board of Directors. The election will be held on Tuesday Nov. 27. Note:All nomination forms must have the signatures of 10 Douglas College students.