Smooth Jazz Playlists

A soundtrack to the daily grind, it helps me focus, but sometimes it shocks me out of my trance when a flashback is triggered. Pat Metheny does that to me.

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash

While working, particularly when I am head down working to a timeline, I listen to music. Partly it is a clue to my subconscious that time is passing, a reminder to not get lost in the numbers or whatever I am grinding away on.

I know I am not alone. One engineering director I worked with had earbuds in when he was in the zone. His choice of poison was EDM¹. No judgements from me, because at that time I listened to a lot of speed metal (Lamb of God, Slayer and the like).

But as I have aged, my tastes for this soundtrack for concentration have evolved. Lately, I have been tuning into curated playlists on one of the two streaming services I pay for. A lot of the time, it is artists that are just a blur of names, with some notable exceptions. Some Brubeck, or George Benson, or Herbie Hancock will drop in (a downside is that I have to skip over a Kenny G tune or two).

There is one artist that is rarer than hen’s teeth in these playlists: Pat Metheny.

And I just don’t know why. He is in the heart of this genre, and he has quite literally played with EVERYBODY in this world. Hell, back in the day, I saw him and his group live twice in lil’ old San Jose. He is such an influence, I even wrote about him in the past:

Influences: Pat Metheny

Anyhow, yesterday afternoon, as I was tucking into a serious Jira session at work, I clicked play on the Apple Music “Smooth Jazz” playlist, and the 4th track in was Pat Metheny’s ethereal intro to Last Train Home, a tune that I discovered probably 40 years ago, it having sent shivers down my spine, and starting a lifetime of listening and appreciating the genius of Pat Metheny.

So, I am sharing this memory with you.

1. Electronic Dance Music - and no, he did not look like a clubber.