Search - David Liebman;Pat Metheny;Cecil McBee;Billy Hart :: The Elements: Water

Unsatisfying

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/25/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"With support from Billy Hart on drums, Cecil McBee on bass, and Pat Metheny on a variety of guitars, Dave Liebman has put together a series of compositions on which he plays soprano sax, tenor sax, and wood flute. The liner notes explain that over the next few years, Liebman plans to make recordings celebrating all the elements. The concept is an interesting one; however, at least on this first disk, Water, the execution seems a bit, well, dry. One would expect jazz music about water to be flowing and supple, but many of these pieces seem stiff and formal, with even the moments of "cutting loose" seeming too carefully scripted. Metheny does get in some nice passages, but as a group, the musicians never really seem to soar.



To make things worse, the last cut on this CD is devoted to a nearly nine-minute-long conversation between Liebman and producer Bob Karcy. It was not very interesting the first time I listened to it, which was also the last time. Unbelievable.



I don't often bother to publish negative reviews, but I suspect the presence of Pat Metheny on this CD will make many audiophiles and music lovers curious about this CD. Alas, it made me curious enough to blow $13 or so on it. I'd hate to think of any readers making the same mistake I did."