PAT METHENY GROUP: THE WAY UP

Pat Metheny is well known for being a master of jazz fusion. Through a career spanning nearly 40 years, he has written and released many albums, recorded with numerous groups of talented musicians, and released some of the tastiest and innovative fusion out there. The Way Up may be his most innovative, progressive, and delicious album yet. The album, comprised of a single, 68 minute long composition broken into four parts, is easily my favorite progressive jazz song out there, and its length only adds to my love of the music. The melodic quality, the crispness of the music, the incredible up-down feel of the flow of the song and so much more make this album (and song) just an incredible experience. Whether you are riding the waves of one of Metheny's many spectacular solos of or the incredible atmosphere the 'toy' instruments make throughout the song, this is truly a special release, and is well deservedly a masterpiece of jazz fusion.

Opening slowly and with an almost ambient feel, the song quickly accelerates into a swinging and sweeping bop-like song. With an incredible flow and superb communicative feeling about it, this music is truly sublime as you ride the sonic roller coaster of this man's composition. The song has a huge amount of improvisation, and the guys who make up this spectacular band have no trouble weaving in and out of chord progressions and sections like no one's business. The main theme, returned to once and a while, is a spectacularly beautiful passage, worthy of entrance in the famous fake books of jazz charts.

Whether you are experiencing the beauty of Metheny guitar tone, the nonchalant effortlessness of the piano, or the sweeping grandeur of a trumpet, this entire composition has some of the most beautiful moments in all of jazz fusion. The beauty associated with the flow of this albums almost breath-like flow, with a crescendo as the music breathes in and a sublime decrescendo and deceleration as the music exhales is absolutely spectacular. The incredible movement between the parts as the themes change and the music is revived as one might begin to get 'bored' is wonderful as well, with some wonderful instrumentation insinuated all throughout the album. Overall, this album is just supremely beautiful, in composition, in form, and in virtually every aspect of its being.

I've said pretty much everything. I love this album. It truly is spectacular. The whole way through, the composition never fails to impress me, even 67 minutes in. Knee deep in Metheny's musical genius, I really can't see how anyone could not love this music. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of jazz fusion. It truly is a pure masterpiece. 5 stars.

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