1. (Cross the) Heartland
2. Airstream
3. The Search
4. American Garage
5. The Epic
Pat Metheny - 6 and 12-string guitars
Lyle Mays - Paino, Oberheim, autoharp, organ
Mark Egan - Bass
Dan Gottlieb - Drums
Pat Metheny has achieved
a rare feat: playing jazz and becoming widely
popular at the same time. When it was released
in 1979, this album topped Billboard's jazz
charts but also made an impact on the pop
charts. The group's success may be put down
to the emphasis which Metheny and his long-time
collaborator, Lyle Mays, have put on melody.
They actually play jazz that is beautiful
as well as intelligent. To borrow the title
of a Rodgers & Hart song, I like to recognise
the tune - and so do many listeners. This
album contains only five tunes but they are
all melodious as well as memorable.
Pat Metheny makes a unique
(though much copied) sound on his various
guitars, while Lyle Mays' keyboards provide
a colourful wash of music on which the listener
can float comfortably. It flows smoothly but
it is not "smooth jazz" in the pejorative
sense. It is pleasurable without in any way
patronising the listener. In a way, it is
as hypnotic as some of the compositions of
Steve Reich or John Adams, although its uses
timbre and melody rather than repetition.
Now reissued in a new mid-price
series called "Touchstones" comprising classic
ECM albums, American Garage lasts for
only about 35 minutes but it is gratifying
from start to finish. The title may be misleading,
as this is very far from the cacophony of
"garage music".
One should concentrate more
on the "American" in the tile, since the music
often conveys a picture of America's rural
wide open spaces. A track like (Cross the)
Heartland has spaciousness as well as
a pastoral feel, with hints of country music
in some of Metheny's guitar work. Airstream
has a wistful country atmosphere. Working
for three years with Gary Burton may well
have introduced Metheny to country-music influences,
as Gary's first album was made with country
guitarist Hank Garland, and Burton later tried
a (very successful) country-jazz crossover
album with his Tennessee Firebird.
Another feature of Gary Burton's playing that
may have affected Metheny was the buoyant
nature of his vibes playing: like the Pat
Metheny Group, it made plentiful use of legato.
One can hear many other influences
in this album. The title-track has hints of
boogie-woogie and even the Beatles. But the
sound made by Metheny and Mays with this quartet
was strikingly original and continues to be
very attractive. Their music is very accessible:
its immediacy reminds me slightly of the very
different Dave Brubeck Quartet, which also
made "serious" music that was instantly comprehensible
and could be appreciated by a wide audience.
Of course, Pat Metheny's
questing spirit has led him in many other
directions as well - like playing with such
people as Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden and
Dewey Redman. But I remain an unrepentant
fan of his small groups with Lyle Mays, who
is an essential part of the group sound. This
album may be very different from some of the
more way-out productions on the ECM label
but I love it. We may hope that the attractive
price will bring in plenty of newcomers to
enjoy the distinctive Metheny/Mays style.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
ECM
Records ECM 1155/1775848
