Pat Metheny: The First Circle
Musicians:
Pat Metheny (guitar), Lyle Mays (keyboards), Steve Rodby (bass), Paul Wertico (drums),
Pedro Aznar (acoustic nylon string guitar, voice, bells, percussion)
.Recorded: Power Station, New York. February 15-19, 1984
Rating: 98/100 (learn more)
Starting off with a hand-clapping sequence in 22/8, "The First Circle" is one of the Metheny Group's most idiosyncratic works. Is it jazz? World music (whatever that means)? As you listen your way through each section, from the opening hand percussion to the intricate acoustic guitar bridge to Lyle Mays's surging synthesizer (and later piano) solo, you can't help but notice the feeling of lift. As the composition roars toward its conclusion, Pat's intensely strummed acoustic guitar is pitted against Pedro Aznar's impossibly beautiful wordless vocals. The first time I heard "The First Circle," it was at my first Metheny Group concert. It left me standing there with a slack jaw. Warning: it just might happen to you, too.
Reviewer: Mark Saleski
Other reviews for this track:
- Pat Metheny: First Circle by Lucy Tauss (92/100)
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Related Links
- The Dozens: Twelve Essential Pat Metheny Tracks
- Will the Real Pat Metheny Please Stand Up
- ECM - The First Decade
- An Interview with Manfred Eicher
Tags: ecm · odd time meters · world fusion
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