Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here (Live in Japan)

Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here (Live in Japan)

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Movie Reviews of Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here (Live in Japan)

Movie Review: One of a kind!
Summary: 5 Stars

We Live Here captures a very special period in the group's history, when Pat attempted to capture the spirit of America's club scene and put it into his trademark world/fusion style. The resulting product is a stunning collection of high energy songs punctuated by an infectious backbeat made up of pre-recorded drum/percussion/bass backbeats characterstic of modern pop music.

The music itself is anybut pop. The title song is really a tribute to Marvin Gaye, yet doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to the late singer's music. It's trademark PMG material with a well constructed guitar solo and wordless vocals by his multi-instrumentalists Marc Ledford and David Blamires.

Perhaps the highlight of the CD is Lyle Mays composition Episode D'azur which opens with a brilliant acoustic solo by Lyle and is followed by one of the most complex and stunning pieces of modern jazz ever recorded live on DVD. If this isn't the future state of jazz, then nothing else is. It also lends credibility to the claim that Mays is one of the most talented pianists in modern jazz today, and is on a par with the likes of Keith Jarrett, Brad Meldhau, Chick Corea and Danilo Perez. More experimental than all of the above, his idols are the late Bill Evans and the relatively obscure Paul Bley. Not to be forgotten are "To the End of the World," where Lyle plays a romantic solo that is built on beautiful harmonic layers, and then followed by a soaring synclavier solo by Pat which ends in a climactic thunderstorm. Also worth mentioning is the only live recording of their one hit "This is Not America," written for the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman," and originally featured David Bowie on vocals. Marc Ledford and David Blamires are equal to Bowie's original vocal tracks, and the end result is wonderful.

The opening track "Have You Heard" is Pat at his best, with an electric guitar solo that puts the listener in awe of his improvisational brilliance. As quoted in previous interviews, he is one of the few modern guitarists who know how to construct a solo with a beginning, middle and end. The interviews slow down the pace of the DVD, but they are interesting from an historical perspective.

In summary, this is a must buy for anyone who follows the PMG. Soon to be release is a DVD of the Imaginary Day Tour, which takes jazz fusion to another level not reached since the days of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McClaughlin.

Summary of Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here (Live in Japan)