In the new Philadelphia Weekly:
Pat Metheny
Tue., May 18, 8pm. $52.50. Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside 215.572.7650 www.keswicktheatre.com
The former teen prodigy turned jazz guitar icon has done it all — or so it seemed until Orchestrion, Metheny’s latest for Nonesuch. Recording a suite of new music for fully automated acoustic instruments was the first step. Now Metheny is schlepping his fragile gear all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia for an epic one-man show that prompts us to hear his entire oeuvre in a new way. The technology goes way back (orchestrions were something akin to early jukeboxes), but Metheny bends it to his futuristic purposes, making music that’s dizzyingly advanced but warm and full of heart, the opposite of what you’d expect from machine-generated sound. — David R. Adler
Jonathan Kreisberg
Sat., May 15, 8 & 10pm. $20. Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com
Born in New York but raised from age 10 in Miami, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg has a prog-rock and fusion past, but he’s bloomed into a fine straightahead jazz player with albums including Nine Stories Wide and Night Songs to his credit. He works tirelessly in New York clubs as a bandleader, and his fierce chops and musicality have earned him gigs with greats such as vibraphonist Joe Locke (Sticks and Strings) and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith (Spiral, due out later this month). This week he’ll front a tight and seasoned quartet with Will Vinson on saxophones, Matt Penman on bass and Mark Ferber on drums. — David R. Adler
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