From guitarist Pat Metheny comes a solo acoustic album, What’s It All About, released today on Nonesuch Records. The album features 10 covers of songs from Metheny’s past, including “That’s the Way I Always Heard it Should Be” by Carly Simon, “The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon (for Simon and Garfunkel) and “And I Love Her” from Lennon/McCartney.
In his preview video on YouTube, Metheny explained that the album came about unintentionally. “I was just kind of playing for fun, doing stuff I thought maybe I would enjoy hearing,” said Metheny. “So, it’s a real direct from me to you recording.” Most of the songs were recorded on a baritone acoustic guitar, with one song (“The Sound of Silence”) played on a 42-string guitar.
Starting in September, the guitarist will be performing along with bassist Larry Grenadier in 17 cities for his US tour. Here are the dates:
Tuesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 21
Seattle, WA: Jazz Alley
Thursday, September 22
Portland, OR: Alladin Theater
Saturday, September 24
San Francisco, CA: Marine Memorial Theatre
Sunday, September 25
Santa Monica, CA: Broad Stage
Tuesday, September 27
Austin, TX: One World Theatre
Wednesday, September 28
Edmond, OK: University of Central Oklahoma
Thursday, September 29
Lawrence, KS: Liberty Hall
Friday, September 30
Chicago, IL: Old Town School of Folk Music
Saturday, October 1
Pittsburgh, PA: Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
Sunday, October 2
Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan Theatre
Tuesday, October 4
Bethesda, MD: The Music Center at Strathmore
Wednesday, October 5
Glenside, PA: The Keswick Theatre
Thursday, October 6
York, PA: Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center
Friday, October 7
Wilmington, DE: The Grand Opera House
Saturday, October 8
Hanover, NH: Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College
Sunday, October 9
Somerville, MA: Somerville Theatre
Tuesday, October 11-Sunday, October 16
New York, NY: The Blue Note
For further information about the tour, go to Pat Metheny’s website.
Here’s a video of the guitarist talking about the album:
