THE WAY UP - LIVE

After 30 years of prog listening i'd never heard of Pat Metheny. Probably because i had never explored Prog outside of the usual suspects. Yes Genesis Elp Floyd etc. To my mind one of the downsides of Yes is that almost everything i heard paled in comparison to the classics from the 70's. Last year a friend handed me PMG's Secret Story and First Circle. The latter captivated me in particular as it seemed a curious mix of modern Jazz and symphonic Prog. Blissful and a real surprise. Recently I decided to explore a bit more and the only thing in my local store was the way up on DVD. What a marvelous surprise. Simply stunning musicianship from this band. The symphonic suite has many facets some of which are outbreaks of modern jazz stylings, but overall this concert does not feel like a jazz concert but does feel like a rendering of Topographic oceans or Suppers ready such is the long continuous flow to the piece. My only gripe with this DVD concert is that the last movement takes you on a sweeping journey much like And You and I or Awaken but unfortunately ends when you would happily listen to another hour. Glorious stuff. 9/10