Trio 99>00

Pat Metheny is a guitarist's guitarist. That's not to say that the rest of us can't appreciate his deft fretwork but unless you play yourself, his consummate skill tends to get a little lost. Here, he's pared back his sound and is joined by only two other musicians, the highly respected jazz players, Larry Grenadier on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. Despite the unquestionable musical quality of the resulting 11 instrumentals, I find it very hard to get excited about Trio. While technically brilliant, for the most part it is emotionally cold, its stylised sound lacking a base humanity.

Take the opening '(Go) Get It', where Metheny tries to cram as many notes into each bar as is humanly possible while Grenadier and Stewart serve up a backdrop of skiffle: jazz purists may love it but to me it'll always be background music. Then there's the great John Coltrane's 'Giant Steps' turning into a feast of

easy listening, which I'm sure wasn't the intention. 'Lot Of Livin' To Do' tries hard for that slow jazz mood, but never quite manages the intimate smoky feel for which it strives.

Metheny occasionally lets himself stray into less calculated territory. 'Soul Cowboy' has a warmer sound, even if it does lose its way somewhat in the middle; 'Sun In Montreal' touches on a more Gallic looseness and a love of open spaces; while 'Just Like The Day' comes on as a soft-focus Led Zeppelin intro, all rolling hills and loping dales, with a hint of nostalgia that is all its own.

For the most part, though, it's Metheny's own form of jazz, and ultimately, Pat Metheny is not going to convert the masses. Me included.