Sunday 8 March 2009

Marc Johnson - The Sound of Summer Running (1998)

01.Faith In You
02.Ghost Town
03.Summer Running
04.With My Boots On
05.Union Pacific
06.Porch Swing
07.Dingy-Dong Day
08.The Adventures Of Max And Ben
09.In A Quiet Place
10.For A Thousand Years

Marc Jonson - bass
Bill Frisell - electric & acoustic guitars
Pat Metheny - electric & acoustic guitars, 42-string Pikasso guitar
Joey Baron - drums, tambourine.

Review by Scott Yanow

This date is a surprisingly mellow and melodic affair, particularly when one considers the personnel (bassist Marc Johnson, both Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny on guitars and drummer Joey Baron). Much of the music is comprised of unclassifiable, folkish melodies filled with lyrical guitar solos. Frisell is quite restrained throughout (adding a country feel to many of the songs) and Metheny is less distinctive than usual, alternating between his electric and acoustic guitars, as well as his 42-string pikasso guitar. The quartet performs seven Johnson originals (most memorable is "Union Pacific"), two by Frisell and one from Metheny. The overall results are pleasing and relaxed music that falls a little bit short of being the classic date one might expect; more fire was needed.

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