“Pat Metheny’s latest, Road To The Sun, represents several departures for the individualistic guitarist-composer. First off, with this record he steps away from his longtime label at Nonesuch to join the recently formed Modern Recordings, an imprint of BMG devoted to jazz-classical-electronic hybrids. Then, he doesn’t play much on the album, turning his two lengthy, multipart compositions over to leading classical players to perform. He does reserve one track for himself, though—Arvo Pärt’s “Für Alina”—on which he plays his 42-string Pikasso guitar, the odd, cubism-inspired instrument that allows him to mobilize as many tones as possible in one sitting.”
REVIEW: ★★★★s from DownBeat for Pat Metheny’s Road to the Sun
