An Intimate Evening With A Musical Master

A Review of Pat Metheny's "Dream Box" Concert at UB's Center For The Performing Arts

Pat Metheny is a towering musical presence; the breadth and quality of his body of work encompassing decades and genres can only be compared to Miles Davis. Wednesday’s intimate concert with this musical master was a rare and wonderful experience.

Consider the circumstances of Pat Metheny’s “Dream Box” album and its accompanying tour. Metheny has been creating and performing music for over fifty years, recording no fewer than fifty-three albums with the Pat Metheny Group, solo recordings, and collaborations with (among many others) Gary Burton, Ornette Coleman, Christian McBride, Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Haden, and David Bowie.

In that time, Metheny created musical notes, sonic scraps created on the endless road at soundchecks and hotels. These forgotten fragments were discovered in 2022 and Metheny used them to create “Dream Box” an album of “quiet guitar,” and then embarked on a sold-out world tour of his solo work.

Incredible.

Metheny explains:

Dream Box is an unusual recording for me;…