going on about offramp

Dark Side Of The Moon. Physical Graffiti. Tommy. Even Quadrophenia.

What each of these albums did for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin & The Who, respectively, was an attempt not only to widen their audience but also to widen their musical scope as well, to step outside the box, to branch out, to go beyond the genre in which they were tagged.

All said, the above albums are still awesome, always will be.

So when we enter the world of jazz to locate albums of a similar nature, you'd have to go all out to find some classics: In A Silent Way. Bitches Brew. A Love Supreme. And those are only three masterpieces I mentioned.

In October 1981, another groundbreaking moment in popular music took place in New York, when the Pat Metheny Group began laying down tracks for one of the best efforts ever made in the Metheny discography, Offramp. Not only would this prove to be a pivotal crossroads for the Group, but also for Metheny himself. The folksy, Midwestern vibe, third world influences, modern jazz stylings as well as old school flavorings which came to define the Group up to this point all came together as one happy family with this recording & further cemented Pat's standing as one of jazz's more cutting-edge performers.

Atmospheric, lush, elegant, otherworldly, even psychedelic: these words could best sum up Offramp in a nutshell. But then again, with an opener like "Barcarole," featuring Pat on guitar synthesizer for the very first time, that'd be an understatement. Eccentric but still accessible at the heart of it all, light-hearted, dark, brooding...& yet those adjectives aren't enough to describe this awesome, powerful music.

"Are You Going With Me?" is not only a classic, but also one of Metheny's most enduring compositions & rightfully so, with one of the leader's most heartfelt solos ever (again, on guitar synth). "Au Lait" is the Group gone tango, with breathtaking solos by Pat & keyboardist Lyle Mays. "Eighteen" wants the listener to get up & dance, groove along, or just get on down the highway. The title track is a visceral free-for-all, intense, just atonal mayhem; Ornette Coleman was always one of Pat's biggest influences & his vibe can be felt all over this track (No doubt, this particular composition would presage the groundwork for Song X, a Metheny/Coleman collaboration a few years down the road). "James" is the Group returning to more traditional roots with sparkling solos by Metheny & Mays. "The Bat Part II" is the calm after this album's storm, the Group's way of saying "Amen."

Full of diversity, Offramp has always been one of my favorite PMG albums. Atmospheric, dark, shimmering, this release has never failed to surprise & amaze. To tell you the truth, it's one of the most enduring efforts ever committed to tape, Pat, Lyle & company doing their own Dark Side Of The Moon with some downright awesome results.