Performing the intricate music of
Carla Bley is no mean feat, but if anyone is up for the challenge, it would be vibraphonist
Gary Burton. Signifying a high watermark in his career in the mid-'70s,
Dreams So Real teams
Burton with his fellow professor at the Berklee College of Music
Mick Goodrick, along with recently graduated student
Pat Metheny. Add the peerless electric bass guitarist
Steve Swallow and always proficient drummer
Bob Moses, and you have the makings of a short-lived supergroup capable of playing
Bley's memorable, melancholy music. While generally regarded as one of many
Burton/
Metheny pairings, it is
Goodrick's individualism (it was he who primarily tutored
Metheny) that needs more recognition. With
Goodrick on electric six-string and
Metheny on electric 12-string guitar, the sonorities they establish allow
Burton to freely discourse on
Bley's prickly angular melodies. The brittle and fractured combo track "Ictus/Syndrome" -- closer to a three-piece suite -- goes from a frantic neo-bop meter to straight-ahead swing with a clearly inspired
Burton rambling into the bright signature rondo sound that
Metheny and
Swallow have always owned. "Syndrome" might also be familiar to
Bley's fans as "Wrong Key Donkey." "Doctor" merges the vibes and guitars into a guided prognosis of hypertension within slowly elevated blood pressure levels. "Intermission Music," inspired by golden age films, is a beautiful waltz vehicle for the guitars rhythmically, and for
Swallow and
Moses melodically. With the bandmembers at their most passionate, the title track is a lighthearted but cerebral ballad, "Vox Humana" a simplified tango, while "Jesus Maria" evokes the delicate epic strains of
Bley's personalized sound with
Burton playing it alone. While the singing sound of
Metheny is in its infant stages, it is easily recognizable and clearly realized. Generally regarded as one of
Burton's top three recorded dates, it has stood the test of time. Perhaps some day, a complete collection of the vibist playing
Carla Bley's many other compositions can be compiled to complement this surface-scratching but very important album. ~ Michael G. Nastos