Pat Metheny

There's no bounds to what Pat Metheny means when he says he's debuting a new "playing environment"—in 2010, it indicated performing with a player-piano-inspired, Rube Goldberg–esque contraption operated with solenoids and pneumatics. This new project, "Side Eye," is less outré, but certainly so no less exciting. With this mutable combo's rotating cast, he highlights some of the brightest young stars in jazz. For this edition, catch drummer Marcus Gilmore and pianist James Francies exploring Metheny's customarily yearning chord progressions, sumptuous melodies and questing improv.