Pat Metheny

Kansas-born Pat Metheny has been one of Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion's most visible and staunchest champions for over 50 years. His productivity has never slowed during any of those 50 years: touring constantly, collaborating with a wide variety of creatives including Gary Burton, Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, Jack De Johnette, Nana Vasconcelos, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Ornette Coleman, The Heath Brothes, Dave Brubeck, B.B. King, Pedro Aznar, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes, Steve Reich, Toots Thielemans, Jeremy Lubbock, Sonny Rollins, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Chris Potter, Ben Williams, and even David Bowie--not to mention the numerous members who have served in his "Group" format, including: Danny Gottleib, Mark Egan, Steve Rodby, Paul Wertico, and, of course, the late, great keyboard master, Lyle Mays. Never one to be pinned down to a certain sound or style or even genre of Jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion, Pat is one artist that has always seemed to be reinventing himself or challenging himself by "playing the field," that is, interspersing album, tours, and appearances with a wide variety of artists at the same time as perpetuating his trademark "Group" sound and collaboration. Though Pat has been an avid and eager pioneer of emerging technologies, his music has always remained firmly founded in skillful and improvisational musicianship--in performance--which, to my mind, is the essence of a true jazz musician. 

THE GARY BURTON QUINTET WITH EBERHARD WEBER Ring (1974)

Recorded by Manfred Eicher for ECM Records on July 23-24 1974 at Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg. I'm excited to hear what two bass players and two guitarists will bring to Gary's sonosphere. Probably released sometime in the Fall (Manfred was known for quick turn arounds from recording to publication time).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gary Burton / vibraphone

- Steve Swallow / bass

- Pat Metheny / guitar

- Bob Moses / percussion (drums)

With: 

- Eberhard Weber / bass (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2)

- Mick Goodrick / guitar (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2)

A1. "Mevlevia" (6:01) this one starts with a weave of gently-played instrumentalists sounding as if they're presenting some background music for one of Mr. Roger's skits with King Friday. At 0:50 it evolves into something a bit more sophisticated with some great interplay between Eberhard and Steve, between Gary and the two guitarists. Song composer Mick Goodrick's solo in the fourth minute is nice. (8.7510)

A2. "Unfinished Sympathy" (3:03) a rather monotonous weave that starts out with some energy and fire as if promising a Mahvishnu-like "Meeting of Spirits" event. It's just not the right instrumental palette despite Gary, Mick, and Bob's best attempts: they're just not loud and/or fiery enough! (8.875/10)

A3. "Tunnel Of Love" (5:30) after a long introductory period of slightly discordant arpeggio playing from everybody individually, it comes as a bit of a shock to see/hear that Eberhard is given the second solo: for the final two minutes! The first one is all Gary but his solo fits in so well with the weave of the other  musicians that you barely discern or differentiate. I really appreciate and like the extra accent work effort put in by Bob: the only support instrument that feels alive. (8.75/10)

A4. "Intrude" (4:47) the only song without Eberhard and Mick; hearing that it's a nearly-five-minute drum solo makes this make sense. It is, interestingly, a very "elegant" drum solo: never trying to impress with power, speed, or super-syncopation. It's just smooth and . . . elegant! (9.125/10)

B1. "Silent Spring" (10:37) a rather droning, plodding foundation is given to Eberhard to solo over the minimalist support on this Carla Bley composition. His now-trademark "underwater bass" is on full display while Gary, Steve, Pat, and Mick robot-walk through the one-chord support accompaniment for seven minutes until the crew stops to watch the UFO in the distance hover and fade away for a minute. Then the two guitarists re-enter for a bit before backing out to allow Eberhard pure solo time. He is a fine bassist, even managing to find interesting melodies and interesting uses of his echoey space, but really the song is nothing to write home about. Gary and the crew return in a minimal capacity at 9:30 to take us home using Eberhard's melody and minimalist chord structure. (The best part of the song.) (17.375/20)

B2. "The Colours Of Chloë" (7:12) Eberhard's lone contribution to the album may, in fact, be its crowning achievement. (Gary must have thought as much as the composer himself had built an entire solo album around it in recording sessions that occurred in the same studio at the end of the previous year!) As reviewed for the The Colours of Chloë album (above), the song starts out like something from a Brian Eno Ambient Music album--until, that is, 1:15 when the rest of the band jumps in with the immediate establishment of a very nicely-woven sprint out of the tunnel-gate. Great two-chord structure propelled by some great melodies and driving drum play. But it only lasts for 30-seconds before ceasing its sprint, resting with Gary and the guitars arpeggiating gently before the two basses jump in with their dual-combined presentation of the bass melody. In the fourth minute everybody settles back into a very pleasant, vibrant and melodic whole-band weave over which Gary solos. His solo is so perfect! So masterful and never ostentatious or flamboyant. At 4:30 the basses reiterate their main melody before allowing guitarist to launch into a solo. Excellent! Another dual bass bridge at 6:15 to segue into a gentle, dreamy motif of disintegration to finish it off. Excellent rendition of an already great song! The main difference between this one and Eberhard's original is the role given to the guitarists to replace the keyboards and Eberhard's bass being doubled up and not being bowed in the first section. Also, I like Bob Moses' drumming much better than that of Ralf Hübner and the rich vibrato filler that Gary's vibraphone renders in place of Rainer Brüninghaus' piano. (14.5/15)

Total time: 37:10

I will commend band leader Burton for his composure and command: he leads with confidence and simplicity, needing no flare or panache to make his statements; he's just there, ubiquitous and detached to the competitive urges of his youthful collaborators. A great master and mentor. The fact of the compositional credits for three of the songs going to Gary's great friend and collaborator, conductor/composer Michael Gibbs helps explain the full-spectrum orchestra-like soundscapes achieved by the Quintet + one. (With six musicians contributing to every song but Bob Moses' solo drum tune, "Intrude," I'm not quite sure who exactly is in the "quintet.") 

89.8333 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of exploratory Jazz-Rock Fusion that could've been better with a little more dynamic variety and enthusiasm on the front end. The cover of Eberhard's own composition, "The Colours of Spring," is, however, be worth the time and listen. 

JACO PASTORIUS / PAT METHENY/ BRUCE DITMUS / PAUL BLEY Pastorius / Metheny / Ditmus / Bley (1976)

Recorded at Blue Rock Studio in New York City on June 16, 1974, Atlantic Records did not release the album until sometime in 1976. Both Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny's stars were rising. Drummer Bruce Ditmas became infatuated with the electronic, synthetic, and machine- and computer driven drum technologies and even found himself living in Italy for a number of years, performing with Italian bands there as well as occasional stints with Gil Evans and Broadway productions, which is perhaps why his name never became the household known that the others achieved. All songs on this album were composed by either Paul Bley or his ex-wife, Carla, save for the final little ditty, "Blood" which Paul credited as coming from the pen of Annette Peacock.

1. "Vashkar" (9:54) a song that I'd always attributed to Tony Williams because of its significant presence on the landmark Lifetime album, Emergency! but I here find out that it was a Carla Bley composition all along! Kudos, Carla! The performances by the young trio, here acting under the guidance and leadership of veteran Paul Bley (Carla's ex- husband), are spry and exuberant, as one might expect from such youth, while Paul's domineering presence on electric piano seems to be the calming glue needed to keep everybody together--as well as to encourage adventure and experimentation. I'm not sure why Pat Metheny A) chose the muted guitar sound he is using throughout the song or B) why he is mixed rather low in the final mix, but his contributions are often overpowered (and, thus, overshadowed) by the other three. He's there (much more so than on the fourth song, "Vampira," where he's like a fly in the room), but his skills and creative talents are almost lost by these choices. Still, this is a pretty awesome version of Carla's song--one that has quite a few goose-pimpling highlight spots. (18.5/20)

2. "Poconos" (1:03) more of an interluding pastiche made from one wild bass riff, two single electric piano notes, and some appropriately reactive drumming. Interesting! (4.5/5)

3. "Donkey" (6:28) This one opens up with some very dynamic (and impressive) drumming over what starts out to be a fairly normal walking bass line with Paul Bley's electric piano acting as the lead instrument. Some of Jaco's patented bass chords and machine gun sprays begin escaping from his "fairly normal" walking bass line, Bruce reigns in his drumming (though still breaking out from time to time with wild outbursts) as Paul plays. It's not until fourth minute, after Paul has finished his soloing, that I can even hear anything being contributed by Pat Metheny's guitar--and when he does his sound and style sound a lot like early John Abercrombie. Meanwhile, Jaco just keeps strutting along, but Paul and Bruce rise to meet Pat's build up of speed and prowess with some bursts of crazed play, eventually supplanting Pat altogether. There are many times that I find myself wondering if the four are each operating in their own bubble-verse, but then they keep coming back together, keep falling back upon Jaco's easy-going, self-absorbed path down la-la-lane. The song may not be engaging or very melodic, but the performances are virtuosic and fascinating! (9.125/10)

4. "Vampira" (7:17) Pat Metheny playing "Shaft"-like rhythm guitar?!! The song seems to be built over Pat and Bruce's driving yet quite methodic rhythm tracks (at least, until the end), with Bruce acting much more controlled--as if he knows his role is to drive the song along a straight and narrow--but Jaco's machine gun burst of notes is jaw-dropping and mind-numbing--and yet, he, too, is sticking to a very straight and narrow pathway, embellishing very little within his repetitious rounds (not even needing any time to reload!). It is Paul Bley on his electric piano who adds the spice and dynamic crazitude to the song--performing at such a reckless pace and ever-shifting trajectory as to make Jaco seem tame and civilized (though we all know he is not). And all the while there is Pat Metheny, playing rhythm (and lead) guitar from the backdrop, with so much to say--so many comments added to the conversation--but muted to such a degree as to render him but a mosquito whispering in the room. The finish is when Jaco devolves into stroked chords. Another amazing display of dynamic virtuosity--from all four musicians--but, man! Paul Bley is on fire! (13.75/15)

The next five songs flow each into the other: as if tuning, warm-up, and jam all line up in one single taping but the producers decided to separate and title each part. Were I to rate it as one song, as it should be, it would probably earn a score of (17.5/20).

5. "Overtoned" (1:43) another weird little interlude. More like Jaco running scales while Bruce and Paul check the tunings and sound levels of their respective instruments. Sometimes it's even hard to give these any credit--and they're always a question mark as to why the band/producer thought this necessary to include on the album (though I get it: Jaco is amazing).

6. "Jaco" (3:30) and here we go: after the little tuning intro of "Overtoned" we launch into a "song" that still feels like Paul is still tuning his instrument and its levels while Bruce is now trying to team up with Jaco while the bass virtuoso is still half practicing, exploring, checking out new and spontaneous ideas, occasionally checking in to fall into sync with Bruce or Paul. All the while, Pat is just sitting in the background watching, amused and enjoying the action in front of him, occasionally pulling some ideas from his effected wah-wah-ed electric guitar (8.667/10)

7. "Batterie" (5:05) a continuation from the previous two songs that shows Paul, Pat, and even Jaco kind of backing off, perhaps taking breaks or playing with the settings on their instruments, while Bruce plays around with several rhythmic ideas on his "batterie"--eventually synching up with Jaco in the third minute (more like: playing support animal to Jaco's continued explorations). Bruce's play isn't particularly dynamic or diversified, but it does offset Jaco in a Jack DeJohnette kind of way. Pat and Paul join in during the final minute--both sounding as if they are practicing/prepping for the recording sessions that would produce "Vashkar" and "Vampira." (8.75/10)

8. "King Korn" (0:30) is a continuation of the play through on the practice pad toward "Vashkar" and "Vampira."

9. "Blood" (1:25) a very interesting song for its whole-band power-performances of Annette Peacock's odd chord progressions. Otherwise it is just the finale of the play-through of the practice of what would later become "Vashkar" and "Vampira." (4.5/5)

Total Time 36:39

89.78 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent capture of a pretty historic recording session. Even the practice "Vashkar" and "Vampira" practice flow that engineer Jan Rathburn recorded and producer Paul Bley decided to publish is fascinating for both its music, instrumental virtuosity, and lesson in how a studio recording session flows.

P.S. This is NOT a Jaco Pastorius album! It is really a Paul Bley album (and should be filed/categorized as such). The young pups Paul invited to New York to record with him at Soho's Blue Rock Studio were by no means yet leaders much less composers to the level that the 42-year old veteran keyboardist had achieved. Please re-file accordingly: give credit where credit is due!

GARY BURTON QUINTET Dreams So Real - Music of Carla Bley (1976)

Recorded at Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, Deutschland, in December of 1975; it was then released by ECM Records in June of 1976. Innovative band leader Gary Burton loves the help of great songwriters and here he's found one of his favorites in Carla Bley. Grooming yet another corps of young talent, 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gary Burton / vibraphone
- Mick Goodrick / guitar
- Pat Metheny / electric 12 string guitar
- Steve Swallow / bass

- Bob Moses / drums

A1. "Dreams So Real" (6:21) beautiful renderings by Gary but something is off about the overloading bass tone of Steve Swallow as well as the mix between instruments: everything just feels too crammed into the front/foreground! Still, as an interesting and enjoyable piece of music, this kind of lounge music doesn't get much better than this. Some of Carla's melodies just creep up on the realms of "achingly-beautiful"  but then seem to suddenly back off as if afraid of really going there--really committing to full-on beauty. Weird! (9.125/10)

A2. "Ictus / Syndrome" (10:24) a song that seems constructed on the whimsy of challenging stuff: as if Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood's Johnny Costa had been required to compose something chaotic to help back a particularly upsetting or disappointing event in King Friday's world of Make-Believe. Around the three-minute mark there seems to be a shift into a motif that is a bit more straightforward with Steve Swallow's walking bass lines and Bob Moses' swinging drumming--over which Pat Metheny gets some solo time. I do so enjoy the presence of the Vibraphone: even when it's in the accompanying role it brings such a nice fullness of sound to the palette--especially with the four-mallet playing approach that Gary uses (and pioneered). In the eighth and ninth minutes Gary, Pat and Mick Goodrick provide a kind of Math Rock weave to support first a nice solo by Steve Swallow on the electric bass before passing the torch to Mick before coming back together for the quick finish. (17.75/20)     

A3. "Jesus Maria" (3:46) gently and slowly spaced Vibraphone notes open this one giving us the feeling like opening a Frank Sinatra ballad. In the very middle of the song Gary finally lets the main melody rise to the top where it washes through the listener like some old favorite comfort song. Thereafter his two hands (and four mallets) seem to almost play two different songs as they continue walking their own melodic paths. I can't even begin to imagine trying to play this! (9.25/10)

B1. "Vox Humana" (7:01) another song almost immediately presents a feel and combination of melodies (from the vibes, two guitars, bass, and drums) that feel so familiar--as if drawn from covering a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song ("You're just too good to be true, Can't take my eyes off of you, . . . " I find myself waiting for the horns.) The harmonic weave is so thick and fruitful--with so many tracks worthy of one's full attention. Again, this sounds so familiar, so poppy, that I can't believe it's all a Carla Bley composition. Beautiful Smooth Jazz/elevator music. (13.625/15)

B2. "Doctor" (4:12) the jazziest, avant-garde odd duck of the bunch, this song seems defined around mathematical ideas more than pretty melodies, using odd chord and harmonic pairings to express its melodies. It is still melodic, it's just that the melodies are carried almost exclusively by the whole band's strict adherence to a very certain, proscribed progression of oddly-aligned chords. Interesting. This is definitely avant-garde Jazz that I can sink my teeth into. (9/10)

B3. "Intermission Music" (6:30) calling a spade a spade! Yes, so much of Jazz can sound like filler--like music that might have been used to fill "intermission" patches in a theater setting--whereas Smooth Jazz feels more like "relax and feel comforted" music for whiling away the time spent in an elevator (thus, the term "elevator music"). Once again everybody in this mix feels as if they've been assigned key roles playing their independent melody lines while the over view shows that the composer had an ingenious ability to see and plan for the harmonic interconnections between all five of the melodies! Awesome! (9.125/10)
 

Total time: 38:24

Carla Bley is quite respected--even revered--among musicians--particularly in the Jazz world--yet before this album I'd not heard anything that had really proven to me why. There is an universal singularly quirky and peculiar way in which she seems to construct her songs and present her (fine) melodies--on multiple levels--using oddly-aligned yet harmonically-interconnected chord progressions. Now I get it! Also, Gary Burton is one of the geniuses who can pull it off (the presentation of Carla's quirky music).

90.50 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of complex compositions that are oddly smooth and oddly melodic while also feeling . . . odd. Well met, Gary & Co.! 

PAT METHENY Bright Size Life (1976)

22-year old Pat Metheny's first album as a band leader. Recorded in Ludwigsburg, Deutschland, in December of 1975, Pat had been working for a couple years with Jaco Pastorius (most recently/ concurrently with Joni Mitchell) whom he had met while in college in Miami. At 28, drummer Bob Moses was the "elder" in the crew, having spent many years on the front lines of the birth and toddling of Jazz-Rock Fusion (including having been the drummer in New York's Free Spirits--the band that is often considered the first to fuse dynamic, loud rock-heavy music into jazz forms as they did it in 1966).

1. "Bright Size Life" (4:45) melodic and incredibly-nuanced virtuosic performances from all three musicians treated with the pristine production of Manfred Eicher's ECM crew. One of my top three songs for the album: It's just so pretty! (9.125/10)

2. "Sirabhorn" (5:29) this one feels like a Pat Metheny song, completely, despite warm support from both Jaco and Bob; for the first three minutes it's all Pat. Then Jaco is given the green light to step into the spotlight--which turns out to be something quite tame and melodic while Bob continues to support with his quiet brushwork underneath. The tandem chord work in the sixth minute is my personal favorite part. (8.875/10) 

3. "Unity Village" (3:40) two solo electric guitars: gentle picking chords from the left channel and gentle lead guitar from the right. Previews Pat's 1979 solo masterpiece, New Chautauqua (though not nearly as dynamic and layered). (8.75/10)

4. "Missouri Uncompromised" (4:21) effected jazz guitar with more traditional jazz drumming and jazz bass supporting. Bob's cymbal play becomes more animated in the second minute, reminding me a little of both Tony Williams and Keith Moon while staying as controlled as Jack DeJohnette. Pat's style and melody choices are built over a several riffs that could very well have been extracted from folk music of his native Missouri. (8.875/10)

5. "Midwestern Nights Dream" (6:00) one of Pat's special spacious solo pieces, here using some strong effects on his guitar(s) to amplify the echoing effect of his gentle notes and chords. Jaco and Bob's cymbals join in at the one-minute mark as Pat switches to playing sequences of pure chords. Jaco's counterpoint is spot on center for the first couple minutes but then he starts exploring the off-center harmonic possibilities as he so beautifully can. Bob's heartbeat-like muted bass drum is an interesting choice. In the fifth minute Jaco steps to the front while his electric fretless bass is fed through some kind of multi-tracking chorus-delay effect making it sound as if he's playing either chords or two notes at a time. (Perhaps he is!) These sound choices feel totally fresh and innovative--at least I can say that I have not encountered them in any pre-1976 music that I've heard. Probably my favorite song on the album.(9.3333/10)

6. "Unquity Road" (3:35) a cool jazz tune based on complex and unexpected chord progressions that often sound like a teaching étude. But the sound palette and melodic expressions in between the on-going chord play is as if a bird has flown higher than the flock. And I can never quite tell whether Bob is playing off of the chord progressions or Pat's melodic lead guitar work up top. Truly unusual and unique in its disparate parts but it works. Another top three song. (9.25/10)

7. "Omaha Celebration" (4:18) more interesting fast and continuous chord shifting with the melody now worked into the progressions and Jaco set free fairly early to explore his own counterpoint melodies and while Bob keeps the music anchored in a steady rhythm from beneath and above (the cymbal play). A little more bluesy than anything else on the album (so far) while also feeling the closest to anything being produced in the world of pop music at the time. (8.75/10)

8. "Round Trip/Broadway Blues" (4:58) the "blues" in the Ornette Coleman's title must refer to the old-feeling structure and chords used in this wild West Montgomery-like jazz rompus. Standard space given to each of the musicians for solo shine. I'm sure the guys had fun creating this one--though it probably took some practice to get it so loose and joyfully inspirited. (9.125/10)

Total Time 37:06

90.10 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; considering the point in the two strings players' careers this album represents, one cannot help but be awed and appreciative of this high-quality, pristinely rendered collection of virtuosic and innovative songs. Even from a prog or Jazz-Rock Fusion perspective one cannot discount the freshness of some of the structures and sound choices here: the envelope of all those combinations and permutations the world of Boss effects pedals is really being pushed here!

GARY BURTON Passengers (1977)

Recorded in November 1976 at Talent Studio, Oslo, by Manfred Eicher for January 1977 ECM release.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Gary Burton / vibraharp
- Pat Metheny / electric guitar
- Steve Swallow / bass guitar
- Dan Gottlieb / drums

- Eberhard Weber / bass

A1. "Sea Journey" (9:15) a Chick Corea composition (17.75/20)

A2. "Nacada" (4:11) it's nice, it's gentle, it's a Pat Metheny composition! The two bass players are prominent, getting to do their own thing, but it's just a little too soporific. (8.75/10)

A3. "The Whopper" (5:28) a song that sounds a lot like a Pat Metheny composition (because it is). I like the effort to make this one complex, sophisticated, and nuanced, with both bass players playing important roles, though Gary's vibraphone gets the lion's share of the lead time. In the fourth minute we get one of the first great Pat Metheny solos! Weird that it's opposed by Eberhard's own meanderings. (It doesn't work well; I try to block out Eberhard's work.) It does have hints of some of Pat's amazingly memorable melodies despite the syncopated sophistication. (8.875/10)

B1. "B & G (Midwestern Night's Dream)" (8:23) the third and final Pat Metheny composition is more pensive and cerebral with some pretty sophisticated (and unusual) chord progressions. I think the first solo is going to Steve Swallow, though it could be a tamed Eberhard. Pat's own solo starts in the middle of the fourth minute and it's another good one. Gary's solo comes next. He just makes it sound so easy--like he doesn't care how impressive it is so long as he feels comfortable in it. (17.75/20)

B2. "Yellow Fields" (6:58) of course a cover of an Eberhard Weber song (his last album released was titled after it), the first 2:30 is just a show for the composer but then they bust out a great smooth moving motif in which every one is involved in the fully-texturized weave. Pat gets the next solo--one of his Missouri specials with clever chord progressions mixed with unusual legato runs. A whole band bridge signals Gary's turn. Here Steve Swallow really gets to show his stuff while Pat and Danny support solidly but rather quietly. The whole band kind of takes us out by carrying the main melody to the finish. (13.25/15)

B3. "Claude and Betty" (6:16) unpredictable (perhaps mathematical) jazz chord progressions that the band expresses on this Steve Swallow composition, while Pat, Eberhard, and Gary embellish slightly over the top (as if adding a little something extra while still working from within the construct). Interesting. (8.875/10)

Total time: 40:31

I think Pat and Eberhard are moving beyond simple melodic hooks and definitely beyond groove music: they've become fully-matured jazz musicians with fully-matured jazz minds. Thus there is a lot more challenging music in this album, less easy-listening earworms and hooks than what we've been hearing in Gary Burton Quartet music up to this point. It is, therefore, no small surprise to me that this becomes the last album to use these artists--that Pat and Danny would move off to pair up with Lyle Mays and Mark Egan while Eberhard would move more toward exploring his symphonic/concerto/sonata/chamber-like music that he explored on The Following Morning. 

88.53 on the Fishscales = B-/four stars; an excellent album of exceedingly cerebral jazz music that sees all of the Gary's protegés being drawn away from the more-accessible Smooth Jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion formats that he believes in and supports. For a time they are going to move into the center of Jazz.

PAT METHENY Watercolors (1977)

The first glimmers of Pat Metheny Group patterns and behavior: welcome Lyle Mays and Danny Gottlieb into Pat's rather idyllic world! Welcome Pat and Lyle to the world of Manfred Eicher's ECM magic! Thank you, Eberhard for your presence and wizardry. Behold: a masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion that portends a vein of the Domain that manages to  remain true to the spirit of the founders and creators of the sub-genre. Recorded in February 1977 at Talent Studio in Oslo, this May 1, 1977 ECM Records release was Pat's second solo album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12-string electric guitars, 15-string harp guitar
With:
- Lyle Mays / piano
- Eberhard Weber / bass
- Danny Gottlieb / drums

1. "Watercolors" (6:30) thus begins Pat's settling into the guitar sounds and group soundscapes that have become signatory to him and his collaborations. Take this song to the 1987, 1997, or 2007 "Group" and they'd all say, "Yep. This is our sound." After only knowing Eberhard Weber for his underwater electric bass sounds for 40 years, I find it such a pleasure to hear him playing within the "confines" and expectations of a standard jazz combo. And here we have a nice introduction to Pat's life-long collaborating companion, the great Lyle Mays--here only on piano but what a great start! The melodies, skills, jazzy phrasings, and clarity of sound are such a delight to hear. While I find absolutely no fault with this song, it does not reach out and grab my heart the way many of Pat and Lyle's future tunes will. (9.333/10)

2. "Icefire" (6:08) solo Pat on his 15-string harp guitar, offering a glimpse into the eternally-curious sound-pioneering side of one of Jazz, Jazz-Rock Fusion, and progressive rock's most adventurous, creative, well-rounded, and skilled musicians. The strums of the harp chords get a little boring (thank goodness he takes a break from them in the mid-section of this), but the melody lines created by Pat's main fretboard are spellbinding and gorgeous--sometimes soul-crushingly so. (9.25/10)

3. "Oasis" (4:05) Pat opens this one by creating mirage-like waves with the finger-picking arpeggios of his 12-string guitar chords while Lyle and Eberhard support from beneath with ever-so-delicate sound waves that sound like plaintive animal cries. As nature-imitative as any music you-ll ever hear: befitting of Mark Isham's Never Cry Wolf soundtrack or something to accompany any desert videography. (9.75/10)

4. "Lakes" (4:46) a nice, melodic jazz piece that previews many future masterpieces (as well as Bob James' work for Touchdown and "Angela"). The cohesion and timing of the whole quartet is actually quite remarkable and should be duly recognized. Lyle's piano solo in the middle is, unfortunately, the only detractor from such a whole-group achievement as his role within the mix seems much more important than the expression of his own melodic ideas, and, thereafter, the band never really re-congeals as it had for the first two minutes while Pat finishes the song in the spotlight. Too bad. Those first two minutes were quite magical. (9/10)

5. "River Quay" (4:57) on this tune the band feels as if they are bending to the will and expectations of external/comercially-motived forces: here creating something that feels more fitting as a radio friendly, easy listening piece. Luckily, this will rarely be the direction Pat and Lyle forge for their music in the future. But, here we have an example of the Will Boulwaire/Rainbow-"Feel Like Makin' Love"-like direction they could have gone had they chosen. So much skill! (9.125/10)

- Suite:
6. I. "Florida Greeting Song" (2:32) some more loosely-constructed jazz that portends Pat's works with both Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman--this despite the late establishment of a more-directional motif due to Pat's fast-strumming guitar play and Danny Gottlieb's fast-driving drumming. (4.375/5)

7. II. "Legend of the Fountain" (2:32) Spanish-sounding impressionistic jazz using nothing but Pat's solo guitar play. Quite lovely. I fail, however, to see the connection between the two movements of the "suite." (4.5/10)

-
8. "Sea Song" (10:18) opening with waves of Lyle's beautiful piano conjoined with Pat gentle finger picking of fairly static chords and Eberhard's gorgeous, long-sustained soft-horn-like bowed-bass notes. In the middle of the second minute Eberhard steps back, leaving lots of space for Pat to step forward--bringing Lyle with him. The two then wanders into a mid-section in which they seem to be meandering like mice over coastal grasslands--a section that lasts for over two minutes as the two weave their melodic lines over, around, and separate from one another. Then Eberhard returns with his now-signature fretless electric "underwater bass" play (as does Danny's active mostly-metal percussion play). All in all, it's quite lovely, quite evocative of a windblown Cliffs of Dover- or Carolinian Coastal-like look out over the expanse of sea. Well done, guys! Music really does not get much better than this, folks! (20/20)

Total Time: 41:48

The skill exhibited by these musicians throughout this album is rather astounding. Couple that with the sound that Manfred Eicher produces from his ECM recording and mastering and you get one pristine album of highly-precise and skillful rendering of exceedingly-high-quality compositions.

94.51 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of creative and innovative Jazz-Rock Fusion. Let the new masters and upholders of the Faith be known and worshipped! 

PAT METHENY GROUP Pat Metheny Group (1978)

Forming his first "Group" with two musicians he had met and played while in Florida's University of Miami Frost School of Music and, later, under the supervision and mentorship of Gary Burton, plus Lyle Mays whom Pat had met in Kansas at the Wichita Jazz Festival (in 1974--where they both recognized immediately their musical kinship). The album was recorded in January 1978 in Oslo, Norway, and then released by ECM Records in March of 1978.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12-string electric and acoustic guitars
- Lyle Mays / piano, autoharp, Oberheim synthesizer
- Mark Egan / fretless bass
- Dan Gottlieb / drums

1. "San Lorenzo" (10:16) one of Pat and The Group's perennial concert representatives, it does have an iconic feel (perhaps augmented by the way The Weather Channel used to stream Pat's works--including this song and the next--as part of the background/accompanying music to their animated and photography-populated meteorological screens). I've never been very impressed by the work of Mark Egan or Dan Gottlieb much: their work serves, holds space, supports, but it's not like the nuanced mastery that Steve Rodby and/or Paul Wertico (or Antonio Sanchez) convey in later configurations of the "Group." (17.75/20)

2. "Phase Dance" (8:25) a song I always liked for its catchy, smooth poppy melody lines. Plus, it's a motile, moving piece of music that continues to reveal and excite the listener with its twists and turns and great melodies. Late-Seventies Jazz-Rock Fusion does not get much better than this. (20/20)

3. "Jaco" (5:40) I'm not feeling the feel of the title's referent--and Mark Egan is doing absolutely nothing (outside of Bob James' Gary King sound/styling) Also I don't get the move into the near-Disco beat for most of the second half. This is just stereotypic Smooth Jazz to me. (8.75/10)

4. "Aprilwind" (2:09) solo electric guitar picking that sounds like something that might have come from Pat's 1979 solo album, New Chautauqua (but probably wouldn't have made the cut). (4.375/5)

5. "April Joy" (8:15) a group continuation (or variation upon) the main sound palette and theme of the previous song, Mark Egan's wonderful fretless bass work is soon a part of Pat's mix until the intro ends about 0:53. Then it's Pat's show on his chorus-and-delayed electric guitar: no fire but ample skill and melody. Lyle's piano work is quite nice too: always accenting and amplifying Pat's work. At 3:12 there is a dramatic "end" which is followed by a return to some delicate solo guitar picking for a minute before one of Lyle's signature synth sounds--the kind of round cor anglais sound--enters and shifts the balance of things for a bit. But then Pat returns to the lead as the rest of the band picks up a kind of laid back "Phase Dance"/"Theme from Hill Street Blues" motif beneath--which plays out to the song's end with Pat occupying the spotlight the whole time. (17.75/20)

6. "Lone Jack" (6:43) a weave of four more actively demonstrative musicians that manages to remain tight despite the relatively high speed and number of bridges and stop-gaps. This is probably the nicest work from the quartet as a whole: Dan, Mark, and Lyle are all as impressive as their leader (maybe moreso!). (9.125/10)

Total Time 41:28

91.18 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early-developing Pat Metheny and Group music--introducing some of the stylings and sounds that would become iconic to Pat and Lyle's work through the years. 

PAT METHENY New Chautauqua (1979)

Recorded in August 1978 in Oslo, Norway and then released by ECM Records in April of 1979.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12- string electric guitars, acoustic guitar, 15-string harp guitar, bass

1. "New Chautauqua" (5:20) fast-strumming on his 12-string acoustic guitar accompanied by bass and electric six-string using one of the tones that has long become a standard go-to sound for Pat, here setting himself up for a bit of a country-flavor-tinged tune, especially in the chorus melodies. Never one of my favorite Pat songs, it is, however, quite characteristic of his iconic sounds. (8.875/10)

2. "Country Poem" (2:34) delicate and melodic, sounding very, very much like a JONI MITCHELL song--even the melodies sound like ones that Joni would use for her vocals. (4.375/5)

3. "Long Ago Child/Fallen Star" (10:19) moody and atmospheric with the effects used on his electric 12-string guitar and the tremendous amount of space afforded the listener in this music box, we are here introduced to a side of Pat that has not become as famous or iconic as his polyrhythmic and fiery solo work. The first half, "Long Ago Child," is quite evocative of dark, uncertain times, while the second half (the final 3 1/2 minutes) of delicate arpeggiated chords and classical guitar lead melody making seems to be issuing forth some more comforting and hopeful strains of beauty. I love the second half so much but am not too much of a fan of the first, so it's a hard one to rate. (18.125/20)

4. "Hermitage" (5:39) soft, almost lazy music played in a minor key kind of makes one feel as if this is just background music for the big event up front: like we're at the corral on a horse or cattle ranch watching the daily groomings and exercising of the animals. It's actually rather ingenious: sneaking an innocuous yet ultimately beautiful song like this into the record. (8.875/10)

5. "Sueño Con México" (5:59) what is definitely my favorite song on the album hits home from the very opening for its ANTHONY PHILLIPS-like arpeggiation of two chords on a 12-string acoustic guitar for fully 50-seconds before another instrument joins in--which happens to be (delightfully) another acoustic guitar. Great melodies and harmonies and chord sequences and fretless bass play as well as wonderful soloing from the lead six-string acoustic. This could very well be a MICHAEL HEDGES or, almost, a William Ackerman/Windham Hill Records tune. Beautiful in a way that makes me want to loop it for a whole day--to bathe me in constant waves of comfort and ease. (9.375/10)

6. "Daybreak" (8:38) another spacious opening with one electric guitar playing a slightly-syncopated arpeggiated chord over and over while a second guitar adds some harmonics and long-decaying notes. Nice. The chord change and ensuing motif change in the middle of the second minute is a bit unsettling, but Pat does occasionally return to the opening motif as if for grounding, for footing, but then he wanders off again in a child-like (or butterfly's) pattern of following impulsively where one's innate curiosities lead. The shift in the fifth minute is completely different--sounding as if the child (or butterfly) has joined a more heavily-populated garden of interesting diversions. (17.75/20)

Total Time 38:29

My first Pat Metheny acquisition, I was a bit thrown by the strange sound palette of Pat's solo work--sometimes layers of treated guitars, acoustic and, I thought, electric. There were also melodies and structures that were strange to me, his tone so delicate and, I think I felt, folk-country-western, even, sometimes, quite angular and unmelodic. It took a long time for me to become familiar with this music--to eventually "like" it, much less understand it. Now I listen to it 40 years on and I don't have any issues, I like it all. It's all, of course, very familiar to me now.

89.833 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an impressive near-masterpiece of autonomous, multi-tracking music making. Perhaps not quite the stellar example of Jazz-Rock Fusion that I'm looking forward to but a fine collection of guitar-based music that is fully representative of the sound technologies burgeoning at the time (as well as the ECM sound).

PAT METHENY GROUP American Garage (1979)

Pat's first "Group" lineup finds studio time for the making of their second studio album, American Garage was recorded at Long View Farm Studios in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, in June of 1979. The album was then released by ECM Records on November 1, 1979.

  Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / 6- & 12 string guitars, producer
- Lyle Mays / organ, piano, autoharp, Oberheim synth
- Mark Egan / fretless bass
- Dan Gottlieb / drums

1. "(Cross the) Heartland" (4:54) one of those delicate, multi-part Group collaborations that explore the possibilities offered by both acoustic and electronic instruments. There is a lot of poppy shlock in the up-tempo whole-band parts while much more tension and nuance in the softer acoustic-guitar woven parts.  There is also an unmistakable recent-Weather Report influence to the commerciality of this song. (8.875/10)

2. "Airstream" (6:55) Lyle's piano work in the opening minute of this feels so Midwest Americana--like something that belongs to a soundtrack of a Ken Burns production. But then when the whole band becomes involved it sounds like something from Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the film Arthur (which won't come out for another two years). You get my point: this is very friendly, very accessible, very familiar and highly-melodic music--qualifying for admission to the Bob James School of Smooth Jazz. (I wonder if Burt, Carole, and Christopher Cross heard this album before/as they were composing the music to their award-winning Arthur soundtrack.) (13.375/15)

3. "The Search" (6:20) a Smooth Jazz palette for Lyle to show off (one of) his signature synthesizer leads: the amorphous "ghost cor anglais." (8.75/10)

4. "American Garage" (4:13) Bruce Springsteen! The rock and Americana foundations of this song are so blatant and pop-oriented as to make me feel a tremendous amount of gratitude that Pat did not continue on this path of shlock production. Again the effect of the Popular Weather Report influence is strongly present here. (8.667/10)

5. "The Epic" (12:59) another hugely Popular Weather Report Era influenced song: both the rhythmic and melodic patterns as well as the sound palette. After about three minutes, it does, however, morph into something more akin to classic Pat Metheny Group sound and then wind and wend its way through several other motifs making it definitely qualify as a suite-like "epic." The soft and gentle motif in the 10th and 11th minutes is probably my favorite--especially as it leads to a cool buildup and crescendo-lite in the 12th--before it returns to a recapitulation of the themes of a couple of the opening movements. (22.125/25)

Total Time 35:21

I'd never thought of Pat Metheny as a contributor to the Smooth Jazz movement until hearing this album. Yes, they definitely were! 

88.27 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent, if temporary, foray into Weather Report-like radio-friendly Smooth Jazz.

JONI MITCHELL Shadows and Light (1980)

Recorded live at the Santa Barbar Bowl in Santa Barbara, California, on September 9, 1979, and then released by Asylum Records in September of 1980. The concert can also be purchased and seen in DVD video form.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Joni Mitchell / electric guitar, vocals

- Pat Metheny /  lead guitar

- Jaco Pastorius / electric bass (Fender Jazz)

- Don Alias / drums, percussion

- Lyle Mays / piano, electric piano (Fender Rhodes), synthesizer (Oberheim FVS-1)
- Michael Brecker / saxophones

With:

- The Persuasions / backing vocals on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "Shadows and Light"

PAT METHENY 80/81 (1980)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pat Metheny / acoustic & electric guitars
With:
- Michael Brecker / tenor saxophone (1, 2, 4, 6-8)
- Dewey Redman / tenor saxophone (3, 4, 6, 7)
- Charlie Haden / double bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums

1. "Two Folk Songs" (20:52) (/40)
2. "80/81" (7:34) (/15)
3. "The Bat" (6:05) (/10)
4. "Turnaround" (7:04) (/15)
5. "Open" (14:34) (/30)
6. "Pretty Scattered" (7:04) (/15)
7. "Every Day 'I Thank You'" (13:21) (/30)
8. "Goin' Ahead" (3:51) (/10)

Total Time 80:25

Though this is just the start of Pat's over-50-year career (and still going!), there is a lot of meat here to digest--and a lot of introductions and indications to where Pat will take his sound and music. (I'm so glad it didn't stay in Smooth Jazz!)