In early 2026, Metheny announced the launch of his Uniquity Music, a new artist-owned record label created to house his past catalog, current work, and all future releases. The first release on on the label is Metheny’s Side-Eye III+, arriving February 27, 2026.

A Label with a Long View

Uniquity Music isn’t a vanity imprint or short-term experiment. Metheny has been clear that the goal is continuity: a single home for the recordings that span from his early ECM years through his most recent explorations.

The label is being launched in partnership with Primary Wave Music and distributed via Green Hill Music / Sun Label Group, allowing Metheny to retain creative oversight while ensuring global reach. It also opens the door for carefully curated reissues, archival projects, and long-term stewardship of a catalog that has often been scattered across multiple labels.

“My dream for years has been to have a place where all of my work, past and future, could live under a single umbrella — a label of my own,” Metheny said. “With the creation of Uniquity Music, that dream has now become a reality. In many ways, I feel like I am just beginning, and I expect this next period to represent the best of where music has led me so far.”

Side-Eye III+: Expansion, Not a Reset

While the Side-Eye project began as a trio-based platform highlighting younger musicians Metheny admired, III+ pushes well beyond that framework.

At its core, the album features the trio of  Metheny, Chris Fishman on keyboards, and Joe Dyson on drums. But this time, Metheny expands the palette significantly, bringing in additional players, including harp, percussion, bass, and vocal textures. The result is music that feels broader, more layered, and more compositional than previous Side-Eye recordings without abandoning the project’s original spirit of curiosity and collaboration.

Metheny explains, “Once I got in the studio with the guys, I realized that while the trio concept was perfect for us as a live ensemble, the music I had written was asking for something bigger. That is where the ‘+’ in Side-Eye III+ comes in. I ended up adding 15 other musicians to the trio — expanding the sonic world of the record far beyond what we had done before.”

Among those additional voices is Mark Kibble of Take 6. “He brought in an incredible group of singers,” Metheny said of Kibble, “and together, we found a sound that has a relationship to the gospel tradition but I think most people will hear the kinds of harmonies and melodies that identify it as mine right away.”

The first single is “In On It” and it’s unmistakable Metheny.

Continuity as a Creative Statement

There’s something quietly powerful about this moment. Rather than chasing relevance or rewriting his legacy, Metheny is doing something far more intentional: organizing it.

Uniquity Music positions his catalog not as a museum, but as a living body of work — one that continues to grow, intersect, and invite discovery. Side-Eye III+ fits squarely within that philosophy: music rooted in experience, energized by younger voices, and unconcerned with trends.

For contemporary jazz listeners, this isn’t just a new album announcement. It’s a reminder that longevity, when paired with curiosity, can still feel forward-looking.

Looking Ahead

Metheny will support Side-Eye III+ with a 2026 world tour, bringing the expanded ensemble to stages across North America and beyond. More releases under the Uniquity Music banner are expected to follow, including catalog reissues and new projects still taking shape.

The post Pat Metheny Launches Uniquity Music and Announces Side-Eye III+ appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

Meanwhile, over on the Top Jazz Albums for the same week, David Sanborn was on top with Pearls, his lush recording with orchestral arrangements. And Grover Washington, Jr. was also on the chart with All My Tomorrows, a more stripped-down  album with strings.

The post Top Contemporary Jazz Albums – April 22, 1995 appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

1. David Benoit and Russ Freeman, The Benoit/Freeman Project
2. Paul Hardcastle, Hardcastle
3. Dave Weckl, Hard-Wired
4. The Solsonics, Jazz in the Present Tense
5. Mark Johnson, Mark Johnson
6. Incognito, Positivity
7. Bob James, Restless
8. John Scofield and Pat Metheny, I Can See Your House From Here 
9. United Future Organization, United Future Organization
10. Mark Portmann, Driving Beverly Hills

Listen below to my selected tracks from this chart! The Mark Johnson recording doesn’t appear available on streaming so it’s not on the playlist but you can still hear Mark Johnson music from the JVC years!

The post Top Contemporary Jazz April 17, 1994: Incognito, Bob James and more appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.