Pat Metheny « SIDE-EYE III+ »

Pat Metheny brings his SIDE-EYE III+ project to Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa on October 7, 2026. Guitarist and composer from the US, Metheny first came to notice in the mid-70s with Gary Burton before releasing Bright Size Life alongside Jaco Pastorius. He went on to co-found the Pat Metheny Group with Lyle Mays, shaping a sound that draws on contemporary jazz while opening doors to rock, folk and Latin influences. His writing favors long-form melodies, shifting harmonies and a keen sense for texture, from Secret Story and One Quiet Night to the Orchestrion experiment and the recent Dream Box, with collaborations that range from Ornette Coleman to Brad Mehldau.

SIDE-EYE is his current laboratory for small-group interplay, a rotating band of sharp younger players set around Metheny’s electric, acoustic and often harp guitar. The set leans into rhythmic invention, elastic grooves and spacious harmonies, weaving new pieces with reimagined corners of his songbook. Expect tight trio conversation, fluid guitar lines and those subtle timbral layers that have marked his studio work, brought back to the immediacy of the stage.