PAT METHENY GROUP: THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN

Forget about the urban jazz style with Metheny's typical fast electric guitar notes here. Actually the guitars are rarely used: it is rather a keyboards-oriented album: Lyle Mays gives us very good refined floating kayboards arrangements, sometimes falling into dramatic and scary film music, especially on the side 2. There are some very good strings arrangements too, performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, which fit very well with Metheny's style and really embellish his music. Don't miss the song "This is not America", having David Bowie on lead vocals: it is very well made and catchy! You have to hear the wonderful Ambrosian choir on the first track: it is totally grand! Pedro Aznar sings almost perfectly on the "Falcon" track. There are some rhythmic percussions a la Nana Vasconcelos (the Wichita Falls album). Globally, there are some variations on the same theme.