An overlooked gem
Barry Smith | Seattle, WA | 10/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 1986 CD is one of those that sits quietly in my collection, never demanding attention... but every so often I come across it, put it on the player, and am reminded again what jewel it is.
Pat Metheny's older and much lesser-known brother is a consummately tasteful jazz player (perhaps because he started as a classical trumpeter). This release features Mike on flugelhorn with a solid group of backing musicians, including Rufus Reid on bass.
This collection sounds like the midnight set at that cool-jazz club you always wanted to find. The first two tunes offer a warm-up intro: "Like the Ocean" is languid and ethereal, while "Day In-Night Out" gently picks the tempo with Metheny gliding on the electronic EVI while Pat comps tastefully in the background. Then the mood shifts into a seriously introspective groove, with four tunes that will stand against the best combo jazz anywhere. "Vanity" oozes late-night cigarette smoke, spotlighted piano, and silky brushwork on the drums. Then Charlie Parker's "Segment" kicks up the tempo with an intense, world-class erudition that still preserves the feeling of shadows and muted conversation. "Saudade" lightens the ambience with a jazz-samba vamp that highlights Mike's artful and lilting improvisation, echoed by Pat's tasty guitar work. Next comes an acoustic treatment of "Oldivar", a delicious Jobim-flavored ballad by Don Sebesky (who, in my book, is an overlooked genius in jazz composition). The set closes with two Metheny compositions: the straight-ahead mood of "Lakeview Ballad", followed by the minor-key trumpet chorale of "Epilogue".
This hard-to-find CD is a must-have for jazz lovers, primarily on the strength of those middle four tunes.
"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1