Brian Eaton’s New Single Covers Pat Metheny Group’s “Travels”

PORTLAND, OR — Brian Eaton’s new 2-track single, Travels, features a cover of the title track from the Pat Metheny Group’s Grammy-winning live album Travels as a tribute to the late Lyle Mays. The musician/producer’s new single, which comes out June 7 on Eatin’ Records, also includes the track “Detour Ahead,” Eaton’s version of the timeless jazz standard as the B-side track. Fans can pre-order on iTunes & Amazon and pre-save on Spotify to stream/download upon its release starting May 10 at BrianEaton.com

These ballads, with their melodic lyricism, have a beautiful melancholic quality to them and feature Eaton on electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums/percussion, and keyboards. Between Sound and Space described the song “Travels” as “a laid-back photograph of Americana that is like a rocking chair on the back porch: lulling, and affording an unobstructed vista.” Written in 1980 by both Metheny and Mays during the mixing period of the As Falls Wichita album in Oslo, Norway, the song evolved significantly, according to Metheny, after getting played nightly.

“Although Metheny’s acoustic version of the song on his Trio album is very nice,” Eaton remarks, “I always longed for a studio version of the live track. But since Lyle’s passing a few years ago, I knew that would never come to fruition. That’s when I decided to tackle the task myself. So I set out to create a version in the spirit of the ‘80s era PMG with many of the elements of the live recording peppered with a few elements from the acoustic version and, of course, a few of my own. I wanted to stay fairly true to the live recording since it was such a staple of PMG’s live setlists and so beloved by fans. I’m hoping listeners will feel this tribute is like an old familiar friend coming home to enjoy that unobstructed vista from the rocking chair.”

“Detour Ahead,” a gem of the jazz standards idiom, was first recorded by Woody Herman and his Orchestra whom Mays toured with in his early career. Eaton’s meld of delicate slow strings and guitar in his instrumental arrangement produces a deeply warm, mellow, and reflective reverie.

The Portland-based Allegra Drums artist and multi-instrumentalist’s recent jazz release, All The Earth Will Mourn, received praise from jazz greats Jean-Luc Ponty, Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny Group), and Frank Catalano. Eaton, with his alluring tone and distinctive musical approach, has also been featured in Bass Musician Magazine, All About Jazz, World of Jazz, and more.

For more information, please visit BrianEaton.com