who is Steve Reich, and why the thanks?
” The best answer to that question is advice to listen to You Are (Variations) an album that summarizes much of what Reich is about, while managing to differentiate itself from the rest of his significant oeuvre. One listen to Reich’s polyrhythmic pulses and it becomes clear where Metheny found his inspiration for parts of The Way Up that feature similarly complexioned, hypnotic beats. Metheny is, in fact, no stranger to Reich’s music, having recorded “Electric Counterpoint” in 1987, playing live over numerous pre-recorded tracks of guitar and bass. Like “Tehillim” and “Electric Counterpoint,” the four-part title suite of You Are (Variations) explores the use of voice as a textural and harmonic focal point. But unlike those earlier compositions, which used lengthier texts, each part of “You Are (Variations)” revolves around a short repeated phrase. And it’s what Reich is able to do with those phrases, performed by the 46-piece Los Angeles Master Chorale, which makes it his most enthral
