What's crazy about Q&A is (again this surfaces) the level of interplay. You listen to their version of "Solar" and it sounds like they've been playing together for years. Not the case. Pat had a little time off at the end of 1989, the Power Station had a day open...so they just showed up and played. For eight hours.
Rejoicing (1984)
Another mini-supergroup. This time with jazz giant Charlie Haden on bass and equally great Billy Higgins on drums. It's an Ornette-heavy recording ("Tears Inside", "Humpty Dumpty" and "Rejoicing") that also has one of Pat's early noise-a-thons, "The Calling". Internet discussions on this song used to spread the rumor that this tune was somehow Pat's way of getting back at ECM's Manfred Eicher...a sort of jazz version of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. Not true. For as sweet as Metheny can (and tends to) play, he's just as likely to uncork some truly blasphemous noise. I've heard him play this tune with the Roy Haynes group, so it's no toss-off.
Bright Size Life (1976)
This one is often cited as the long-time fan favorite. Count me in that group. The playing is just stellar. It's hard to go wrong is Bob Moses on drums and Jaco Pastorius on bass. If you own no Pat Metheny albums, this is a good place to start. It has some of the feel of his early solo record New Chautauqua put together with some of the best jazz guitar trio work I've ever heard. I know that Pat is fond of this era because, all these years later, he still returns to these tunes in concert.
...and that's what I'm hoping for for tonight's show. Just one blast through the beauty of "Bright Size Life" and the electricity of the unison-crazy "Unquity Road"...and I'll be happy.
(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)
Article comments
1 - Taloran
My mom came out from Boston to visit me in college, and sat next to Pat Metheny on the plane. He signed a copy of American Garage and gave it to my mom to give to me. It was my favorite before that, and remains so.
2 - Mark Saleski
dang, i'm jealous.
3 - Eric Olsen
love Pat - thanks Mark, great job, up on Cleveland.com