Guitar pioneer Pat Metheny is wrapping up his first dates in Hawaii since 1985 this evening at the Blue Note, with shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. He took time to speak with HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence last night, and shared details of his incredible life of music.
Pat discusses his memories of previous visits to the Aloha State, explains who he's brought with him for these concerts, and why he's surrounded himself with this set of musicians (Linda May Han Oh on bass, Gwilym Simcock on keys and Scott Amendola on drums).
Also part of the conversation, Pat shares critical stories from his background, including growing up in a very musical family, starting on trumpet and how he ended up on guitar. He explains the impact of the Kansas City, Missouri music scene when he was just a teenager, and the fateful day Bill Lee from the University of Miami Music School traveled to recruit him with a scholarship for their new electric guitar program, and what led to him becoming a teacher there within a week.
Pat also details the development of his special guitar tones and voices, including use of guitar synthesizers, MIDI and groundbreaking guitar sounds that would come to define his career.
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Hear the complete interview with Pat:
See a live video of Pat and his band playing live this year:
