Nachdem sie kreuz und quer durch Amerika getourt waren und etwa 250-300 Auftritte im Jahr hinter sich gebracht hatten, standen ihr Sound und das Repertoire fest. Prompt bekam dieser Jazz-Fusion-Klassiker von 1978 nach seinem Erscheinen Gold. Auf Pat Metheny Group findet man schon all die vertrauten Zutaten, die die Band in den folgenden zwanzig Jahren noch weiterentwickeln sollte: Methenys dunkler, halliger E-Gitarrensound und seine anmutigen Akustikgitarren. Hinzu kam Pianist Mays Mixtur aus Kirchenklang, Bill-Evans-Soundverschnitt und orchestralen Synthie-Effekten. Drummer Dan Gottlieb steuerte seine rollenden Grooves bei. Schließlich rundete Mark Egan das ganze noch mit seinen von Jaco Pastorius inspirierten, melodischen Bassläufen ab.

Auf "San Lorenzo" und "Phase Dance" bot die Band ein Beispiel ihres Stilmixes aus elektrischem Jazz, progressivem Rock und ihren tiefen, amerikanischen Wurzeln. Das country-artige Intro zu "Jaco", das romantisch-akustische "April Wind" und die jähen Wechsel in der Jazz-Samba "Lone Jack" zeigen den breiten musikalischen Horizont Methenys, seine Vorliebe für ausgedehntere Stücke und seine hohe Improvisationskunst.

(Chip Stern, amazon)

Pat Metheny and his newly christened group (which now featured Mark Egan on bass) returned to Oslo in the winter of 1978 to record his third album, simply titled Pat Metheny Group. As often happens (and numerologists can speculate among themselves), the third time was a charm for Metheny. The album showcases the guitarist’s unique vision for jazz: the dreamy textures that would soon be associated with New Age, the warm and lithe melodies that now clearly display Latin fancies, the sense of soaring in a vibrant landscape borne of a fond memory. Metheny was clearly working toward this style on Watercolors, but that album was too literal an interpretation of the elements, unable to conjoin the images of fire and water in a single picture. From the opening “San Lorenzo,” it’s clear that the Group has made leaps in comfort and ability. If “Watercolors” felt like a warm bath, “San Lorenzo” is a simmering sea of expression. On this track and the even better “Phase Dance,” Mark Egan’s bass works under the radar, twisting the notes up and down like a gentle prodding of the subconscious, while Metheny and Mays share the leads in a subdued act of showmanship. In fact, their solos usually work as if scratching the surface of a spice plant, releasing a fresh and stronger wave of the same scent that’s been wafting in the air all along. This allows the band to stretch their legs without straying from the original melody, a trait common to smooth jazz that makes the listening experience less daunting to fans of popular music. You could even make the case that some of this is pop music; “Jaco” feels like a Steely Dan song, while “Aprilwind” and parts of “April Joy” invite comparison to the work of Steve Hackett. Metheny, Mays and company were clearly crossing over into new territory here, bound to the traditional technical accomplishments of jazz on the one hand, and drawn by the guitar’s affinity for melodyspeak on the other. Throw into the mix a willingness to incorporate elements of progressive rock and electronic music on occasion, and you have a different sort of fusion that suited the electric guitar extremely well. It’s ironic that such a popular instrument (the guitar) had yet to gain a foothold in jazz, and this album goes a long way toward correcting the omission by showing how it could sparkle in the right setting.

www.connollyco.com

The first recording by the Pat Metheny Group features the innovative guitarist along with keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Mark Egan, and drummer Dan Gottlieb. The music is quite distinctive, floating rather than swinging, electric but not rockish, and full of folkish melodies. The best known of these six Metheny-Mays originals are "Phase Dance" and "Jaco." This music grows in interest with each listen.

(by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide)