Pat Metheny Unity Group at Thornton Winery, Temecula, California

[Rick Grandi]

Jazz lovers from Southern California and all over the Western United States have been coming to Thornton Winery in Temecula (north of San Diego) for an amazing twenty six seasons. And amazingly, both the talent line up and the concert experience continue to get better. I’ve been fortunate to have seen some of the true giants of contemporary jazz, including Lee Ritenour, David Sanborn, Bob James, Brian Culbertson, and Keiko Matsui at this intimate and acoustically excellent venue. But Saturday’s Pat Metheny Unity Group & Bruce Hornsby Campfire tour concert took the experience in a new direction. I could have seen the show at LA’s Greek Theatre in front of an audience of six thousand, but I chose to drive the ninety minutes to the Thornton Champagne Jazz series show to share the more personal experience with an audience of six hundred on Thornton’s beautiful terrace overlooking the vineyards of Temecula’s wine country.

Pat Metheny is one of America’s greatest guitarists, and jazz fusion musicians. Born in Kansas City in 1954, he’s been playing since he was eight years old and received a Downbeat music scholarship at age fifteen. He has played with such diverse musical icons as Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Milton Nascimento, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Bruce Horsby. Metheny has won countless polls as best hazz guitarist, been nominated for a staggering 35 Grammy Awards, and has won 20 Grammys including Best Jazz Recording for the debut of The Pat Metheny Unity Band in 2012.

Metheny & Hornsby opened the show together, with Pat accompanying Bruce on acoustic guitar. Hornsby continued his set with drummer Sonny Emory doing an eclectic collection of his own compositions. Then as the sun was setting, Metheny started his show performing solo on his “Pikasso” triple neck, 42-string guitar. Right away, the audience knew this would be no ordinary jazz concert. He was joined one by one by the three members of the Unity Band, Chris Potter on woodwinds, Ben Williams on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums. They built their way into the wild “Roof Dogs” with Pat moving to synthesizer guitar, then following an astonishing drum solo, Pat then introduced newest and youngest member Giulio Carmassi, who recently joined from Italy. The five-piece ensemble is now called The Unity Group, and they continued to transfix the audience with their new material including the eloquent and touching “Born” from the new “Kin” album. During the show, each group member was prominently spotlighted, and the Thornton audience gave each a rousing reception.

One of the audience whispering to her companion, referred to Pat Metheny as an “imagineer”, which I found very appropriate. As the evening grew darker, the intricate stage lighting (for which Metheny is known) took full effect, adding to the mood. His stage presence is undeniable, but also inclusive, and every song feels like a collaboration with the world-class musicians that make up the Pat Metheny Unity Group. But one of the truly show stopping moments was Metheny sitting down solo with the acoustic guitar and performing a montage of his iconic songs such as “Last Train Home”, “So May it Secretly Begin”, and “Letter From Home.” They closed the show by bringing Bruce Hornsby back out to perform his iconic hit “The Way it Is.” The audience did NOT want to let them off the stage.

The entire evening was truly a unique experience made even better by a well-chilled Thornton Pinot Grigio, and a halibut with zucchini and tomato dinner. Thornton Winery’s servers did a great job keeping their patrons happy, so be sure to check into their gourmet supper packages when planning a concert trip. The Champagne Jazz series continues into October, and upcoming shows include Norman Brown with Jonathan Butler, Bobby Caldwell with Keiko Matsui, Al Jarreau, and Boney James. Check the entire lineup at www.thorntonwine.com, and treat yourself to one of these shows.


image | Pino d'Amico