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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Lifestyles

Final fall Graves Lecture pays tribute to Metheny

Guest Author
CSC Music Faculty member Charles Carey, left, and Bassist David Kramer of Rapid City, South Dakota, perform a piece Tuesday evening in Memorial Hall. The performance was part of Carey’s Graves Lecture, “A Tribute to Pat Metheny.” —Photo by Spike Jordan
CSC Music Faculty member Charles Carey, left, and Bassist David Kramer of Rapid City, South Dakota, perform a piece Tuesday evening in Memorial Hall. The performance was part of Carey’s Graves Lecture, “A Tribute to Pat Metheny.” —Photo by Spike Jordan

Fabulous.

That was how audience members described the final fall Grave Lecture, “A Tribute to Pat Metheny,” by CSC music instructor Charles Carey 7 p.m., Tuesday in Memorial Hall, Room 126.

The audience applauded and smiled. Many participants showed their gratitude to the organizer after the short tribute. Musicians demonstrated their professional skills and created a friendly and hilarious atmosphere.

The lecture included two parts. The first focused on Metheny’s life; the second was Carey’s and other musicians’ performance of Metheny’s work. The performance group contained Guitarist Carey; Bass Guitarist David Kramer; Drummer Jamin Hübner; Xylophonist Sandy Schaefer; and Pianist James Margetts. They played five of Metheny’s jazz releases, “April Joy,” “Third Wind,” “Follow me,” “Question and Answer,” and “To the End of the World.”

“He is my hero,” Carey said.

Carey met Metheny a couple of times, but they never had dinner together, which Carey said he lamented. However, Carey recorded an album with Metheny’s former drummer.

“He is the only jazz man who made more money than Michael Jackson probably,” Carey said.

Metheny was born in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City in 1954. He chose a guitar at age 12, and since that moment, success had followed him. At the age 14, he was a member of “Union Sing,” in Kansas City. He was the youngest teacher at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, at age 18. He earned 20 Grammy awards, including best contemporary jazz performance, best rock instrumental performance and, best jazz fusion performance. Only he and Jazz Pianist Chick Corea attended this prestige in all of jazz musical history. Many describe Metheny’s music as relaxing. It includes traditional jazz, rock, folk and Brazilian motives. In 1979, Metheny created a “rockfish” sound from a traditional jazz guitar. As a leader, he has recorded 42 albums; but as backup performer, he has recorded into the hundreds.

“I don’t worry too much about the fundamentalist principles that are in almost any discussion about jazz,” Metheny said. “Jazz is a verb. It’s more like a process than it is a thing.”

Metheny’s fans say he does not follow common jazz rules, and that is what makes him famous.