Reported by Remi: http://mail.openjdk.java.net/pipermail/mlvm-dev/2014-December/006192.html

If a MemberName is constant, direct call is faster than linkTo* call.

Consider simple recursive call:
    static void rec(int depth) throws Throwable {
        if (depth > 0) {
            recMH.invokeExact(depth-1);
        } else {
            return;
        }
    }

C2 -XX:+PrintCompilation:
jsr292.RecursiveCall::rec (18 bytes)
@ 10 java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$MH/537548559::invokeExact_MT (16 bytes) force inline by annotation
  @ 2 java.lang.invoke.Invokers::checkExactType (30 bytes) force inline by annotation
    @ 11 java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle::type (5 bytes) accessor
  @ 12 java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$DMH/1617791695::invokeStatic_I_V (14 bytes) force inline by annotation
    @ 1 java.lang.invoke.DirectMethodHandle::internalMemberName (8 bytes) force inline by annotation
    @ 10 jsr292.RecursiveCall::rec (18 bytes) inline (hot)
      @ 10 java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$MH/537548559::invokeExact_MT (16 bytes) force inline by annotation
        @ 2 java.lang.invoke.Invokers::checkExactType (30 bytes) force inline by annotation
          @ 11 java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle::type (5 bytes) accessor
        @ 12 java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$DMH/1617791695::invokeStatic_I_V (14 bytes) force inline by annotation
          @ 1 java.lang.invoke.DirectMethodHandle::internalMemberName (8 bytes) force inline by annotation
          @ 10 jsr292.RecursiveCall::rec (18 bytes) recursive inlining is too deep

Non-inlined recursive call can be a direct call, but it is a ::linkToStatic call:
[...]
  0x000000010feeabfe: movabs $0x79561d2a0,%rdx ; {oop(a 'java/lang/invoke/MemberName' = {method} {0x00000001180a3528} 'rec' '(I)V' in 'jsr292/RecursiveCall')}
  0x000000010feeac08: nop
  0x000000010feeac09: nop
  0x000000010feeac0a: nop
  0x000000010feeac0b: callq 0x000000010fe49900 ; OopMap{off=48}
                                                ;*invokestatic linkToStatic
                                                ; - java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$DMH/1617791695::invokeStatic_I_V@10
                                                ; - java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$MH/537548559::invokeExact_MT@12
                                                ; - jsr292.RecursiveCall::rec@10 (line 28)
                                                ; - java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$DMH/1617791695::invokeStatic_I_V@10
                                                ; - java.lang.invoke.LambdaForm$MH/537548559::invokeExact_MT@12
                                                ; - jsr292.RecursiveCall::rec@10 (line 28)
                                                ; {static_call}
 [...]