Music wish list  Metheny/Mehldau is the latest CD from guitarist Pat Metheny who is teamed up with the excellent pianist Brad Mehldau. It is a spare recording and on first hearing (of the samples on Amazon) I wasn't sure if I liked it. The piano/guitar interactions seemed a little too spare, too forced, but on further listens the sound reminds me of the simple, acoustic work of Metheny that I love. I'll likely pick this one up soon.

Braggtown, the latest recording from Branford Marsalis, was released on the same day as Metheny/Mehldau. I'm hoping Marsalis takes a few more chances with this disc and resists the temptation to tone down his performance for the sake of reaching a wider audience.

Industrial Zen is John McLaughlin's latest released in August. He returns to his fusion roots. Not sure if I am ready to return to that era of syhtnesized sound, albeit with a world music flavor. I like the samples but wish for a more accoustic sound.

Remember Shakti—I prefer McLaughlin's Shakti period, the accoustic recordings made with Indian musicians that highlights his blistering guitar techinques. These two discs are from a 1997 concert.
posted by Bruce Wright at 10:52 AM #