The trio format has served Pat Metheny’s talent well. He made his recording debut as a leader with Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on drums over 30 years ago with Bright Size Life in 1976. Since then he has returned to the format with musicians such as Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Billy Higgins and Roy Haynes. In 2002 he turned to a younger generation of players in Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez, the latter also a member of the Pat Metheny Group. This, their first album together is good, as one would expect with a musician of Metheny’s stature.

But there are a lot of “good” albums out there and one expects a little more from one of the greatest guitar players on the planet than a series of holding patterns that have found favour with critics and the public. On ‘At Last You’re Here’, ‘Calvin’s Keys’ or ‘Dreaming Trees’ one gets no sense of artistic growth, of a willingness to take on new challenges or broaden the base of his expressionism. In both conception and execution, Metheny sounds content to remain within the parameters of a style that has served him well over the years and adds little to the sum total of our knowledge of his playing. Not that there is anything wrong with this. It’s an impeccably executed album.
Stuart Nicholson

This review is from Jazzwise Issue #116 to read the full review section and receive a Free CD Subscribe Here...