Pat Metheny - Side-Eye III+

Pat Metheny — Side-Eye III+ 2LP

Multi-Grammy-winning guitarist and composer returns with 2026 studio album

Includes "In On It," "Don't Look Down," and "Make a New World"

Gatefold double LP on black vinyl w/ four-color printed inner sleeves

Celebrated guitar virtuoso and composer Pat Metheny returns with Side-Eye III+, a new eight-song jazz project with his latest group, featuring Chris Fishman on piano and keyboards, Joe Dyson on drums, and Jermaine Paul on bass. In partnership with Green Hill Music, the 20-time Grammy Award winner launches his own label imprint, Uniquity Music, and embarks on an extensive world tour with his new ensemble. The all-original album includes "In On It," "Don't Look Down," and "Make a New World."

The album, released on February 27, 2026 is the first title to appear on the new imprint, which has been created in partnership with Primary Wave, parent company of Green Hill Music under the Sun Label Group umbrella.

Uniquity Music will become the home for Metheny's catalog from 1984 onwards, beginning with reissues of every album he has released since Song X, as well as all of his future recordings. The move brings together more than four decades of work under a single label for the first time in the guitarist and composer's career.

Side-Eye III+ represents the latest instalment of Metheny's Side-Eye project, a series designed to highlight younger musicians with whom he has been working. The core trio for the album features Metheny on guitar, Chris Fishman on keyboards and Joe Dyson on drums, a lineup that has toured widely over recent years.

For the new recording, however, Metheny expanded the project beyond the trio format. Fifteen additional musicians were brought into the sessions, including bassist Daryl Johns, harpist Brandee Younger and percussionist Luis Conte. A vocal ensemble led by Mark Kibble of Take 6 also features prominently, adding a choral dimension influenced by gospel and contemporary harmony.

Blake Davis, General Manager of Green Hill, said the album reflected Metheny's long-standing commitment to collaboration and musical exploration.

Commenting on the album Metheny said: "There is almost no way to replicate exactly what is on the record with just the trio, nor will that be the explicit goal on this next round. But the material on the record can be played a lot of different ways, which is always a good sign. I am already thinking ahead to the next stage of the Side-Eye thing, and the broader palette of this record plus my thoughts about what's next gave me the idea of bringing in an incredible young bassist from California, Jermaine Paul, and the percussionist and vocalist Leonard Patton, who is a musician I have wanted to include in my thing for years. But the core of the band will remain Chris, Joe, and me — continuing what we have been working on together on the bandstand and in the studio during this really interesting musical time we have shared together."

 

LP 1 Side A

1. In on It

2. Don't Look Down

LP 1 Side B

1. Make a New World

2. Urban and Western

LP 2 Side A

1. SE-O

2. Our Old Street

LP 2 Side B

1. Risk and Reward

2. So Far, So Good

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