PAT METHENY GROUP: THE WAY UP

3.5 stars. I'll admit right off the top i'm not a huge Pat Metheny fan, I find a lot of his albums a little on the "light" side for my tastes. Having said that his 1980's release with Lyle Mays "As Falls Wichita..." is my favourite from him, it's magical. So hearing that Lyle Mays and Pat teamed up for this record, and reading all the high praise, well I just had to check this out. The two negatives for me include the almost 70 minute length of this recording, and also how light it is (surprise). There are a lot of positives on this one though. I must admit as well that a lot of this music is over my head. "Intricate" is a word that kept coming into my mind, and the way these guys "interplay" is simply jaw-dropping. I smiled when I read a reviewer on another site who said it's the kind of music that is perfect for a drive in the country.That's exactly how I listened to it today on the way home. Picture me driving down this road with forests closing in on each side of the road, no houses.The sunlight causing shadows and reflections as I looked at all the green landscape. I love listening to music when I drive, especially music like this where you need to concentrate to understand and enjoy it. And while this is jazzy it's also quite symphonic.

"Opening" is just that a 5 minute intro track. It opens quietly and builds. Piano and drums are prominant before a minute. Some trumpet and lots of guitar. As I said earlier there's so much going on, great interplay. "Part One" is the longest track at 26 1/2 minutes. It opens with a nice relaxed sound then it kicks in before 2 minutes then calms right down. Tasteful guitar 3 1/2 minutes in then it kicks back in after 5 minutes. The tempo continues to shift. It's very jazzy 14 1/2 minutes in. I really like the sound 23 1/2 minutes in.

"Part Two" opens with acoustic guitar and piano. Bass, trumpet and cymbals join in. A fuller sound 2 1/2 minutes in before we get a calm 2 minutes later. Harmonica comes in during the second half of the song as piano comes and goes. "Part Three" is all so intricate once it gets going. Great sound before 9 minutes. A dead calm follows before the acoustic guitar seems to rise and fall and we get some atmosphere too. Great way to finish the album.

If your into lighter and mature jazzy soundscapes then this is a must. A nice album that i'm far from understanding yet.