Back on Familiar Ground : Pat Metheny says he’ll feel right at home returning to his jazz ensemble for a show.

Guitarist Pat Metheny hasn’t had any shortage of collaborators over the years. There’s been serious jazz with the likes of Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden and sophisticated pop with David Bowie and Joni Mitchell.

But on Saturday, Metheny arrives at the Universal Amphitheater within the one musical setting he’s never fully abandoned, even as he’s pursued these other projects. The Pat Metheny Group is where the guitarist calls home, and not just because the jazz ensemble bears his name.

“We’ve all been through a lot together and shared a lot of our lives together,” says Metheny of the seven-man unit that includes longtime keyboardist Lyle Mays. “Lyle and I have really grown up musically together. And we’re always talking about what the next thing is going to be.”

Most recently, that “next thing” turned into the “We Live Here” album, which is the group’s first studio recording since 1989. Metheny has had several solo albums since then, including 1994’s aggressive one-man performance, “Zero Tolerance for Silence.” That album was praised by Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore as “the most radical recording of the decade” and “a new milestone in electric guitar music.”

Yet even as each of his recording projects has allowed Metheny, 39, to experiment in a variety of styles, the guitarist says that it’s within his group that it all comes together.

“That’s where I get to speak the whole language,” Metheny says. The other members of the group are bassist Steve Rodby, drummer Paul Wertico, vocalist David Blamires, horn player Mark Ledford and percussionist Luis Conte.

“Because of the extensive backgrounds of these musicians, we can really cover a lot of territory in terms of dialects within the music. That’s unique among our generation of players.”

Metheny began playing guitar as a be-bop devotee, but soon embarked on a professional career that has traveled through straight-ahead jazz, crossover fusion, pop and film soundtrack work. Along the way, he’s earned eight Grammy awards.

“I’ve always felt most comfortable with people who were real fluent with be-bop, with those with the greatest possibility to go into any kind of direction at once,” Metheny says. “And that tends to be the jazz guys. The matter of style is never an issue.

“Pop guys tend to be more concerned about the song, as opposed to the moment. There is a certain challenge to that. You have very short bursts of time to create something that’s hip. I’ve always admired these guys who do these short solos.”

Even outside of the Group, with which he first recorded in 1978, Mays has been a regular collaborator for much of the trip.

“To me, the main attraction of Lyle is his uniqueness,” Metheny explains. “So few people have looked at synthesizers in a unique way and found their own sound. That’s always impressed me about Lyle.”

The newest member of the band is Conte, a Los Angeles-based session percussionist who was recruited for the album and then opted to put his studio work on hold to tour with Metheny.

“He’s an unlikely candidate for us,” Metheny says. “We’ve always been a New York, East Coast kind of band. But we were all just so impressed with his abilities. And he loved doing the record so much he’s taking a whole year off from the studios.

“It’s probably the best band I’ve ever had. It’s very balanced. Luis is a great addition to the group.”

On Saturday, the group will perform a three-hour show that encompasses many of the different styles Metheny’s dabbled in through the years, those that have perhaps challenged his audiences.

“My whole career has only been about playing,” he says. “I’ve never worked too hard at developing an audience.

“When it comes time to play, I don’t really care what other people think, whether it’s the audience or jazz critics or record companies or other musicians. Once you start worrying about those things, then you start guessing about what you should be doing.

“I keep my eye on the music. That’s the only thing I know for sure. And the audience that’s hung with me will expect me to continue my research.”

Metheny’s audience has stuck with him so far. He laughs. “You’re never going to hear me complaining.”

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WHERE AND WHEN:

Who: The Pat Metheny Group.

Location: Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.

Hours: 8:15 p.m. Saturday.

Price: $12.50 to $48.50.

Call: (818) 980-9421 or (213) 480-3232.