Pat Metheny had debuted at ECM as a member of Gary Burtons band on the album Ring in 1974, but Bright Size Life, his frst studio recording as a leader, was the album that decisively put him on the map as a bright new force, with something fresh to say in the context of contemporary jazz . Recorded in Ludwigsburg in December 1975, and produced by Manfred Eicher, the album featured Methenys regular touring band of the day, with Bob Moses on drums and the virtuosic but then largely unknown Jaco Pastorius on bass guitar.
