First Circle by Pat Metheny Group

First Circle, the Pat Metheny Group's fourth studio album, came out on ECM in 1984, recorded in a quick four-day burst that February, and it sounds like a band that had learned to breathe as one. Metheny produced, and his guitar weaves around the keyboards of Lyle Mays, his longtime composing partner, with Steve Rodby on bass, Paul Wertico in the drum chair and Pedro Aznar, freshly arrived, adding vocals, percussion and guitar. Aznar's voice gives the melodies an extra lift, and the grooves glide rather than grind.

"Tell It All" catches the band at full sail. The Grammys handed First Circle the award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance.

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