Pat Metheny
on music he digs
A couple of weeks back I had to choose between watching a movie on Sun Ra ("The Magic Sun" by Phill Niblock) and going to a Pat Metheny concert. I chose the movie ... mainly because it was by far the cheaper option - PM is one of the few jazzers with a rock-star following.
Most of you are probably familiar with him - Kurt Elling covered one of his tunes (Minuano) in the album "Man in the Air". He is quite the eclectic musician and his recommendations are generally top-notch.
posted by Crp @ 1:27 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I was revisiting "pat metheny group". I find it difficult to listen to the songs that sound like they are capturing some cosmic sound. There is no context for me to apply it to. Which brings me to my recent music listening habits (which seem to depend on the mode of listening. Methinks the two have an interesting corelation.) For instance, when I'm listening a stray series of mp3's on ear phones at work, I'm inclined to listen to songs which represent a single thought or maybe a quirky idea or melody or rhythm. For the same reason, the pat metheny group stuff seems really incongruous. So maybe I'm biased against it for now
Actually PMG is generally hit-or-miss for me too. From a listening-for-pleasure viewpoint I like only around 10% of their output - at most one or two tracks from each of their albums. And their keyboardist (Lyle Mays) makes me cringe very frequently.
But these days my music listening is mainly foraging for stuff I can steal - if I find a nice chord or a lick I can cop I consider my time well spent. And PMG delivers on this front most of the time - it is different from the routine blues-jazz progressions+substitutions approach.
The sounds-from-interstellar-space stuff is pretty annoying, I agree, but have you heard "Au Lait" ? (from their album "Offramp"). Wierd but the intro (first 3-4 minutes) is nice.
And their keyboardist (Lyle Mays) makes me cringe very frequently.Ha! Surely you've heard his work from "first circle" with the lead that treads only on the right end of the keyboard, sometimes being ultrasonic, I think.
Talking about which, during my experiences with opera, I've never understood the sanctity of the "high note". I'm not doubting the 'riyaaz' and stomach wall muscle building and breath-holding techniques that go behind it. Its quite the tour de force -- but is it really beautiful? I've actually observed the phenomenon on stage in India and abroad -- everybody in the audience loves that high note. As for me and the high-note Ithaka
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
I can't help but end this by remembering George Costanza departing on a high note after a well-received witticism leaving his colleagues begging for more.
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