“The second night after I arrived in Miami, I went to a jazz club. This guy played bass for one tune and it was like he had dropped out of a spaceship”: Pat Metheny tells the story of how he met Jaco Pastorius – and their formative years in Miami

Left- Pat Metheny playing guitar on stage circa 1970s; Right-Jaco Pastorious, performs as a member of Joni Mitchell's band at the Pine Knob Music Theater during Mitchell's "1979 Tour Of America" on August 11, 1979, in Clarkston, MI
(Image credit: Left-Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Right-Ross Marino/Getty Images)

At the humble age of 18, Pat Metheny had already developed a reputation as a wunderkind, with a musical talent far beyond his years. After being offered a place at the University of Miami, the young jazz guitarist dove headfirst into the city's jazz club scene – a network that would lead him to one of the most influential bassists of all time.

“It was the happiest day of my parents’ lives because I hadn’t taken a book home since I was 14, so they had resigned themselves to me never getting into college,” he tells UK outlet The Guardian in a new interview.

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Janelle Borg

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.