Transcendence: The Music of Pat Metheny (digital outlets)

Now here's an interesting concept, the music of guitarist Pat Metheny explored by a guitar-less American trio of bass (Christopher Dean Sullivan), drums (Karl Latham) and keyboards (Bob Gluck, who published a book about Metheny's music last year).

Given Metheny's melodic skills – and that he had Lyle Mays as his longtime keyboard player – this actually makes more sense than expected because without that fluid sound of Metheny's guitar we are drawn into the compositions.

The trio includes some of his better known pieces (Afternoon, Offramp) but also allows for Herbie Hancock's Dolphin Dance and Keith Jarrett's Everything That Lives Laments.

Question and Answer seduces the listener in with its quiet and measured approach, Afternoon finds a natty swing behind Gluck's keyboard and Offramp arrives like heavy traffic and the collision of a keyboard (programmed to sound like a searing guitar with Hendrix aspirations) with drums, the most demanding but exciting piece here.

The Transcendence trio have approached the music of Metheny The Composer rather than Metheny The Performer, so the results can be some distance from the original recordings if listeners are familiar with them.

But taking this as an entity almost separate from Metheny The Guitarist this is a fine album of contemporary jazz with Gluck shifting between different keyboard sounds depending on the mood being created.

Challenging in places, but in a good way . . . and you need know nothing about Pat Metheny to enjoy what's here.

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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here