penman2/guitar

I first saw Pat Metheny back in the '70s at the Bracknell Jazz Festival. It is difficult to describe his impact that he had and how radical he sounded, with a new guitar sound and a different approach to jazz and improvising. (Jan Garbarek was on the same bill, but doing his neo-Coltrane stuff).

Over the years, he has at times almost become a spoof of himself, stepping closely to the 'Smooth Jazz' he professes to hate so much. Yet, each time he does that, he then manages to produce something that re-awakens hope in the music fan. The new album is one such work. [It's almost as though there is a battle between the magnate and the musician].