What makes this summit meeting by two lions of contemporary jazz guitar a delight is not just the fact that both of them are consummate masters; it’s the unusual blend of similarities and differences that they bring to the table. On the one hand, both are Midwestern boys, and that heritage comes out unmistakably in their playing. On the other hand, that heritage comes out completely differently in each case. When Scofield plays, soul, blues, and funk are always in the picture, either stated explicitly or peeking around the corner. Metheny’s style, on the other hand, frequently evokes the wide-open spaces of his native Missouri – and he can also regularly be heard bursting into skronky avant-jazz excursions. Scofield’s tone is chorused and slightly distorted; Metheny generally favors a very soft-edged, straight-ahead tone. And when the two of them get together, the result is magical. On the title track of this album you can hear them having the time of their lives as they slowly, meditatively explore a pastoral theme; on “The Red One” they play a boppish head in unison, then in harmony, and then suddenly jump into a funk/fusion passage before embarking on their solos. And the whole album just proceeds wonderfully from there.