OFFRAMP

Barcarole
Are You Going with Me?
Au Lait
Eighteen
Offramp
James
The Bat part II

PLAYERS: Pat Metheny (g), Lyle Mays (p, k, autoharp), Steve Rodby (b), Dan Gottlieb (d), Nana Vasconcelos (perc, v)

REFLECTIONS

DAN GOTTLIEB: It was the first week that Power Station Studio C (upstairs) NYC was open. Great studio with amazing sound. I remember playing the song “Au Lait” with my eyes closed listening to Pat, Lyle and Nana, and just floating. It had odd time measures but I didn’t even think about it, I just played along. Lyle sounded amazing on “James,” Nana playing the triangle. Lyle played some great synth parts on the song “Eighteen.”

When Nana was added to the group, it brought such a different texture. Nana had a special range of sounds and colors and I played really close attention to his time feel. As we were now two people creating a groove texture, I did my best to blend with Nana as one sound. When he played the shakers, for example, I adjusted the cymbal texture to blend in and try not to duplicate the same rhythms he was playing. It really expand the time feel! When he played congas, again, I tried to play something that worked with the part he was playing and I knew he was doing the same thing. We were both very sympathetic to each other, and it worked really well from the moment we started playing together. He was also such a master on the bermibau and the talking drum. He showed me in great detail some of the rhythms he played, and it really changed my concept in understanding Brazilian music and approach. The magic I felt was when pretty much every time we played as his time feel was so full and deep…it felt we were playing as one.