Bright Size Life

Pat Metheny, 1976, from Bright Size Life. Solo by Pat Metheny.

A trio with Jaco Pastorius; Metheny's open, singing lines pointed jazz guitar in a new direction.

Bright Size Life is the title track of Pat Metheny's debut as a leader, recorded as a trio with Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on drums. Metheny's lines are open, airy and singing, drawing on folk and country melody as much as bebop, and his warm, glowing clean tone set him apart from the jazz guitar tradition before him. Pastorius is far more than accompaniment, playing melodic counterlines that interlock with the guitar. The record pointed jazz guitar toward a more spacious, harmonically open sound that many later players adopted. Listen for the way Metheny's phrases arc upward and then float, and how Pastorius answers from below with fretless lines that almost sound like a second guitar.

Bright Size Life by Pat Metheny is featured in our Jazz (#7) list. The solo is played by Pat Metheny and the song was released in 1976.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Jazz Guitar Solos — #7
• The Best Pat Metheny Guitar Solos — #2

Sources

• JazzGuitar.be: Top 10 Best Jazz Guitar Solos That Will Inspire You — #3
• Jazzfuel: 10 Iconic Jazz Guitar Solos Everyone Should Know