Many guitarists in the 1970s stampeded down the same trail: play more notes in less time, awe the listener with blinding speed, if all else fails, turn up the amps.

Pat Metheny went down another path: allow space between riffs, be musical, keep the volume down a bit. And he made (and still makes) memorable music, exploring the space where jazz, rock, pop, and electronic music come together. So far, he has won 16 Grammy Awards mostly in jazz and rock categories.

The Pat Metheny Group from 1978 San Lorenzo.

The Pat Metheny Group from 1978, Phase Dance.

He was still a teenager when I first heard him , playing in the Kansas City Jazz Festival and holding his own with famous talents. He is a Kansas City product, born in 1954. He should have many good years ahead of him. Biography.

Pat Metheny (once again) with the Gary Burton Quintet, in Montreal 1988.

Pat Metheny at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2003, with an orchestra yet.