Just a bit of Jazz - Pat Metheny

My first contact with his music, was in the late 70's. A shy guitar player (he still seems shy), discrete composer and a precocious teacher, he began teaching at Berklee College of Music when he was just 19.
I discovered his music by chance, flicking through hundreds of records exhibited in the shelves of a second hand vinyl store in Buenos Aires.

I asked the guy there to play it in the turntable, and the songs attracted my atention immediately: the LP was New Chautauqua (1979), a guitar solo album with only 6 tracks.
By following the next link you can listen the main song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2aEJC6BL0g

His musical history is well known in the most famous jazz circles. Many times poll winner in specialized music magazines, 18-times grammy award winner in different categories and recognized by his colleagues, he is still on the road, alternating solo albums (beware, some of them experimental) , band albums (different partners but usually with the same keyboardist and co-composer Lyle Mays whom for me, is his best half), and ocassional duets (one of the last with Brad Mehldau) or trios.

He has also written soundtracks, composing and performing the music for a few TV episodes, series and commercials, and has colaborated in the development of the 42 string Pikasso Guitar (shown below) which he plays in some of his concerts.



Take a look at the technique he uses to play it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOBhOBsU10Y


You must not miss some of his records.
Let me recommend a few: We Live Here, Secret Story, Still Life (Talking), Letter From Home or Imaginary Day.

To finish this short review, watch As It Is in a live performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSONbye6n98&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXeZunJaNPiSNa1sg0cbaHJn&index=6

Enjoy this music as I do !!

Buena Vista Social Club at Carnagie Hall

This is a masterpiece, in this event there were all the Cuban legend members together, the show had been recorded in a double CD with sixteen classic songs. If you would like to know Cuban music, you must listen to this amazing work. It has a lot of rhythm, incredible voices and great musicians.
Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Pio Leiva, Eliades Ochoa, and others play Chan Chan, Dos Gardenias, Quizás, Quizás, 20 años and more, invite us to dance to caribean rhythm. Trust me, you must listen to this before you die.

Pink Martini

My first meeting with this group (Pink Martini) was unusual, nobody recommended it to me, I didn't listen to them on the radio and never saw them on the internet. 
One day when my family went shopping, I decided to look for some cds at a music store. The shop had an amazing variety of artists and albums from any kind of countries and styles, I felt like a kid in Disneyworld. While I looked around,a legend over a cover(Simpatique) surprised me, it said "Pink Martini makes a better world". Immediately I told myself "you must listen to this!" and obviously I bought it.
Later when I was driving my car and listened to the CD on the stereo, the story started, the first song "Amado mío", a Spanish love song but it was sung in English. Beautiful voice, amazing arrangements, great musicians with a latin rhythm. Strange but interesting. Second track, tremendous rhythm and great energy. The third song sounds as if Edith Piaf sang it on a radio broadcast fifty years ago. The frosting on the cake of the album "La soledad y ¿Donde estás Yolanda ?", those were sung by a Spanish singer with a voice perfect to listen to romantic songs and to dance. To finish this masterpiece a classical Greek song and a Japanese one.
If you read this post and listen to these songs, may be you can understand why I am a Pink Martini Fan!!!