Do you remember the film The Falcon and The Snowman? There was a song from its soundtrack - This is not America - sung by David Bowie accompanied by none other than this jazz guitarist - and he even co-composed the song [actually he composed the rest of the soundtrack all on his own].Sometimes you won't even know that its a guitar you are listening to when he plays. In fact Metheny is fond of using what's known as a guitar synthesiser with his guitar. It's a gadget that makes the guitar sound more like a synth than an actual guitar! So you might be listening to the sound of a trumpet for instance - but it would be a guitar playing! Therefore be warned...any trumpet sounds in the tracks I have chosen for you [from the 13 or so CD's I have of this guitarist] are actually created by a guitar connected to this synth gadget. Metheny also plays special guitars like the electric Sitar - which really sounds like an Indian Sitar and even a strange guitar with 3 necks called the Pikasso guitar.Podcast description:TRACK 1: Are you going with me - From Travels. This is probably the first Metheny track I have ever listened to because Travels is the first Pat Metheny album I have ever bought way back in the early 80's. Obviously it was on vinyl but now I have it on CD too. This is a great track from a great album. Note the unusual sound his guitar makes.TRACK 2: Here to Stay - From We Live Here. Compared to the previous track this is a very "normal" piece of music by Metheny's standards. The tempo is quite upbeat and rather commercial and the guitar actually sounds like a guitar. This does not diminish at all Metheny's greatness in no way mind you - I just wanted to include this one for those of you with more conservative tastes.TRACK 3: Red Sky - From We Live Here. The tempo on this one is rather latin though still jazzy, and one can appreciate the nice sound of the elctric sitar Metheny likes to use so often...and later on the trumpet sound so charateristic.TRACK 4: Last Train Home - From Still Life (Talking). A really cool and relaxing piece. My favourite from this selection. On this track Metheny uses again both the electric sitar and the synth effect that makes the guitar sound like a very high pitched trumpet (you would need to have compressors for lungs in order to play a real trumpet like that!)BONUS: Interview with the Toronto luthier who created Pat Metheny's Pikasso guitar.(Once again excuse the quality of the sound which is far from being pristine but I had to compress this podcast quite a lot in order to make it of an acceptable size for download - and its still 22mb!)Enjoy the music.PLECTRUM

[ Sat, 13 May 2006 14:23:06 -0500 ]

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