MOG

Pat Metheny Group's Letter from Home LP is one of my top 10 post-bop jazz albums, it's a great coast to coast listen that's perfect for cutting in the crib, reading, writing, studying or just staring out the window down onto the street-- don't let that last bit fool you though. Pat Metheny's one of the world's best guitarists and he plays a wide variety of axes on his tunes...the highlights on this particular set begin when the first chords are dropped on "Have You Heard" which is a swingin' way to open any set later, "Better Days Ahead" manea's up in your ears, it'll take you straight beside the banks of the Rio de Janiero...Metheny et all slow things down on "Spring Ain't Here" as Patty gives lower end of his guitar's fret board a work out and boom, the Group switch gears and pull out a little 55 second flamenco number called "45/8" which sets the pace for "5-5-7" another crisp outing-- when they're rockin', in this case with a wiggy-ass time signature, you can feel Metheny's outfit breathing together and still it just eases along which is why I like this tune so much...on "Beat 70" Metheny returns to that Latin feel with a little harmonica thrown in for texture with superb results and lastly, "Letter from Home",like the closing credits of a film, tells you that everything's coming to an end but to keep on keepin' on...

...Metheny and co ease on out in the same fashion that they eased on in-- you'll want more...Still Life (Talking) was the LP that introduced me to Pat Metheny group but Letters from Home is the one that kept me listening and looking for more of his stuff (and there are some great titles out there, yo)...if you're unfamiliar with the newer jazz artists out there (I'm talking beyond '68) that are helping take the genre in newer directions stylistically, then Pat Metheny Group is most definitely a great place to start this LP won't do you any wrong, there really isn't a sub-par cut on the whole set...check out the LP