Pat Metheny Group - Speaking of Now on CD

Description

Product Description There is no setting that defines Pat Metheny more than his role as bandleader of one of the most acclaimed and influential musical ensembles of the past quarter-century, the Pat Metheny Group. Founded by Metheny in 1977, the Pat Metheny Group has relentlessly travelled the world selling out concerts, festivals and clubs in more than 40 countries, becoming one of the most active and popular touring acts of any kind anywhere. Each new record and tour is awaited with eager anticipation and speculation. With a new line-up--percussionist and vocalist Richard Bona, trumpeter Cuong Vu and drummer Antonio Sanchez--joining longtime pianist/collaborator Lyle Mays, bassist and co-producer Steve Rodby (now in his 20th year with the group) and Metheny, Speaking of Now is one of the most exciting, creative and inviting recordings of the group's already long and illustrious career. Amazon.co.uk With Speaking of Now the Pat Metheny Group blends further into its customary habitat. The hip-hop and funk diversions of the 1995 We Live Here are long gone, supplanted by the default PMG mix of soft-focus Latin rhythms, mellifluous guitar, tinkling piano and heavenly vocal melodies. For some, the diaphanous surface of the typical Metheny Group record transmits blandness, but the compositions are often ingenious. Try the opening "As It Is", for example, which has a breadth of structure more often found in orchestral writing than pop-jazz; beneath the epic exterior, there's serious musical intent in structure, harmony and sound. There's no less musical content when Metheny tears up the fingerboard in "On Her Way"; his tone may be muted, but the ideas are undiluted, the delivery full force. As ever, the lyrical mood is occasionally broken by the howling viola-cum-trumpet guitar-synth sound that has become a Metheny trademark, but real trumpet is well played on several occasions by new brassman Cuong Vu. There's also a new vocalist in Richard Bona and a new drummer in Antonio Sanchez. However, the arrival of new blood does nothing to disrupt the signature sound of the PMG. The long-governing trio of Metheny, Lyle Mays and Steve Rodby makes sure the group stays true to its roots and, perhaps, its audience's expectations. --Mark Gilbert Review Though Pat Metheny's solo projects and collaborations have covered the gamut from straight acoustic bop to harmolodic rough n' tumble with Ornette Coleman and free improv with Derek Bailey, the guitarist's group outings have travelled a relatively linear path. You know what you're going to get with a PMG album, and it is going to be pretty. Despite the addition of three new members, New York trumpet luminary Cuong Vu, vocalist Richard Bona (better known as a bassist and leader in his own right) and drummer Antonio Sanchez, the song remains the same on this, the group's 11th album. It's the usual mix of bright, lush synthetic orchestrations, latinesque rhythmic stylings and occasional bouts of restrained fusion flash, topped off by the blurry bebop shapes conjured up by the leader's guitar. Since the early pastel fusions of American Garage, the PMG's template has become increasingly sophisticated, adding wordless vocals and a more pronounced Brazilian influence, showcased brilliantly on Still Life Talking and Letter from Home. Speaking of Now doesn't stray too far from this formula, though the addition of Vu's trumpet lends another strong solo voice to the ensemble (his poised, ECM-cool improvisation on "Proof" is a highlight). Predictably, Metheny takes the lion's share of the solos and displays his customary easy brilliance; the airbrushed sheen of the group's music sometimes hides the fact that he's one of the most melodic and inventive jazz guitarists on the planet. Throughout, his improvising is a fountain of melody, teasing out every possible harmonic strategy with stunning rhythmic precision. Yet this isn't just the stuff of Berklee students wet dreams; Metheny's solo flights are suffus