Jazz/Blues
Pat Metheny

One of the most original guitarists from the '80s onward, Pat Metheny is a chance-taking player who has gained great popularity but also taken some wild left turns. His records with the Pat Metheny Group are difficult to describe but managed to be both accessible and original, stretching the boundaries of jazz and making Metheny famous enough so he could perform whatever type of music he wants without losing his audience. Metheny remains active in the 21st century, releasing Speaking of Now in 2002, the solo One Quiet Night in 2003, Way Up in 2005, and Metheny Mehldau in 2006. Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau returned to the studio the following year for Quartet. Metheny released the trio album Day Trip in 2008. Orchestrion, which featured a solo Metheny playing several acoustic instruments designed and built for him by Eric Singer, appeared from Nonesuch early in 2010. Metheny released What's It All About in June of 2011, his second solo acoustic guitar recording. Unlike any other entry in his large catalog, the set was comprised entirely of covers of pop songs by contemporary songwriters. Metheny released Unity Band with saxophonist Chris Potter, drummer Antonio Sanchez, and bassist Ben Williams in June of 2012. In 2013, Metheny (with John Zorn) released Tap: Book of Angels Volume 20. Pat Metheny continues to perform all over the world.