My favorite band BAR genre!!!!! This group has given me so much musical pleasure. Their last 10 CD's have won at least one grammy in the contemporary jazz categories....A MAJOR FEAT indeed. My first record I bought from these guys was their 1995 album We Live Here, after hearing a song I liked on a jazz station that stopped me in my tracks with its' beautiful melodies and chord changes. The song from this album I heard was called "Here To Stay". I bought this album and went through the rest of their catalog.....Simply these guys are just great composers and musicans.

Lead by one of the best guitarists on the scene in the last 25 years of so.....Pat Metheny, these guys have played and offered a wide range of different musical flavors. Our jazz pick of today is their latest offering Speaking Of Now, which I recommend to anyone who is interesting in this group and don't know where to start. All of these songs are good.....Among the highlights is the awesome straight ahead jazz piece "Proof"...which finds the group stretching out and doing what they do best IMPROVISE PROFICIENTLY ON THEIR INSTRUMENTS. The climax of this track is beautiful as Metheny and his co-composer pianist Lyle Mays always find a way to end songs with such grace and beauty. Another winning track is the delicate beautiful ballad "Another Life", which finds Metheny playing nicely on his acoustic guitar with one of the great new additions to his group African musican/singer Richard Bona.

A big pleasant surprise on this record is Pat's musical tribute/shoutout to Gamble And Huff and that Philly sound of the 70's on the R&B-oriented track "Afternoon". I challenge anyone to ignore and resist this piece when they hear it.

Their Speaking Of Now 2002 Tour was my first time ever seeing these guys and it truly was one of the greatest concerts I've ever attended. Had a chance to met and talk with Metheny after the show as well. Just a nice humble dude that knows how to treat his fans.

If you want to hear some great music..pick up this album...you won't be sorry. Then pick up some of their other great records and explore their back catalog....

Other Pat Metheny Group Recordings Worth Getting.....

Offramp(1982)
Travels(1983)...Great live 2-CD set
First Circle(1984)
Still Life Talking(1987)
We Live Here(1995)


Brother 9/15