Captured live for broadcast on WLIR-FM and WRVR-FM, New York November 1979 bottles the early spark of The Pat Metheny Group just months after their breakthrough with American Garage. The quartet’s fluid jazz fusion—lyrical guitar melodies, luminous harmonies, and agile rhythmic interplay—unfolds with the urgency of a band on the rise. Fans of sophisticated fusion and modern jazz will appreciate the seamless blend of composed themes and open improvisation, as Pat Metheny’s singing guitar tone weaves with Lyle Mays’ expansive keyboards over the propulsive foundation of Mark Egan and Dan Gottlieb. This performance highlights the group’s cultural impact at the turn of the 1980s: melodic, exploratory, and distinctly American, bridging jazz tradition with contemporary textures and a cinematic sense of space. Pressed on vinyl by HIHAT, it’s an essential document of the band’s fiery live presence at a formative peak.

• Artist: The Pat Metheny Group
• Format: Vinyl
• Release Type: Live Album
• Genre: Jazz Fusion
• Label: HIHAT

• Edition: Standard Edition
• Add Notes: Recorded for live FM broadcast on WLIR-FM and WRVR-FM in New York, late 1979; features the classic early quartet lineup in peak touring form.

• Media: 12" Vinyl

Formed in 1977 by guitarist Pat Metheny and keyboardist Lyle Mays, The Pat Metheny Group quickly became a defining voice in jazz fusion, celebrated for its melodic sensibility, advanced harmonies, and genre-spanning approach. With early releases on ECM, the group blended jazz with rock energy, world rhythms, and ambient textures, earning critical acclaim and a devoted audience. Their 1979 album American Garage reached #1 on the Billboard jazz chart, propelled by the anthem (Cross The) Heartland, and set the stage for a series of influential recordings and tours that would shape contemporary jazz for decades.