‘Eighteen’ is from one of Pat Metheny’s best records Off Ramp recorded in only a few days in 1981 at the Power Station in New York City for ECM Records. In fact, I saw the tour in New York City at the westside piers in 1982 when the album was released. It was a fantastic show, especially to watch Pat wield his tones from his guitar using a Synclavier and a Roland guitar synth. The band was so together and really listened to each other when they would take solos. It was an amazing experience because up until that time I was a rocker and only saw live rock shows. This was an entirely different show because the group incorporated so many creative jazz colors, but still had that fun edgy rock elements lightly sprinkled in the music. This track takes me back to the days of American Garage period with Lyle Mays on piano and synth, Steve Rodby on bass, Dan Gottlieb on drums, and Nana Vasconcelos on Percussion and Voice. In these early days Pat & Lyle always wrote from there mid-western hearts combining it with jazz-fusion elements. They had a unique sound and with Metheny’s Synclavier guitar tones was always recognizable. As a guitarist I always appreciated Metheny’s lyrical melodies, which is a challenge when composing instrumental music to get across to the public. ‘Eighteen’ is a great example of his wonderful infectious melodies and the feel-good vibes that the group always seemed to evoke no matter what direction their improvisations would take them in a song. This is why the album won a Grammy for Best Jazz Fusion Performance; the first of many to come in the next decade.
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About the Curator: Brian Tarquin
Multi Emmy Award winning Brian Tarquin is an established top rate composer/guitarist. He has won 3 Emmy's for “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series” and has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times. In 2019 Tarquin received a Global Music Gold Award for his release Orlando In Heaven for “Best Album.” Three years in a row (2016-2019) Tarquin received “Best Album of the Year” nominations from the Independent Music Awards for his releases: Guitars for Wounded Warriors, Orlando in Heaven, and Guitars for Veterans. On which, Tarquin shows his guitar prowess alongside such world-class shredders as: Steve Morse, Larry Coryell, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot (Guns N’ Roses), Reb Beach (Whitesnake), Chuck Loeb (FourPlay) to name a few. In 2006 SESAC honored him with the Network Television Performance Award. Tarquin has graced the Top Billboard Charts with such commercial releases as: This is Acid Jazz, Vol. 2, Sweet Emotions, and Bossa Brava: Caliente on Instinct Records, followed by several solo jazz albums, which charted Top 10 at Smooth Jazz Radio R&R and Gavin charts. Brian has appeared on 38 releases, selling over 140,000 records in his career.
