CJ Shearn

yes it is a good CD, "Autumn Leaves" cooks!

yeah Joe, the sitar sound on "As It Is" seems to sound like the studio one, it's noticeable that it's probably a sequence because the sitar sound doesn't trigger when he does that little fill of harmonics during the first half of the melody. It similar to how the sitar sound is used on "Facing West" from the Secret Story video (the DVD is on it's way to me) There's no 2nd cord going through Pat's blonde Ibanez PM 20 prototype, which incidentally if you don't look closely, you'd think he dusted the Gibson off again, the way the PM 20 is engineered on the record makes it sound like the ES 175, but on this DVD it has a thicker bottom. Pat's black PM 100 has a synth trigger cord in it tho, which you see him triggering on the ID Live video by turning the extra black knobs built it. I never hit the Garage to post anymore, it gets too idiotic.

agreed on that version of "Valentine". Man, that is sad Jimmy is in such a condition, he's been one of my very favorite musicians since I was a kid, his form was good when I saw him at the Blue Note in '98 during the co bill with Jack McDuff, but he didn't play much. At least we have all the great recordings he's made to remember him by if he does pass soon. His playing on Joey D's "Incredible" is some of his best in years, stretching himself and showing why he really is the shining force on the B-3, despite their being other very, very good players.

an acoustic Actual Proof? wow........ did Herbie rip it up like a demon as he does on "Flood"?

Got this a few days back, here is my review. The SoN DVD is without a doubt the ultimate PMG video document thus far. maybe ranked with Secret Story and the Parallel Realities DVD's as the best Metheny live DVD's....... I know it sounds like hyperbole but I'm sure like any Pathead I've watched all the DVD's to death, but there is a real sense of "going for broke" and totally inspired highs that's never been seen/heard on any PMG DVD yet For example, Pat takes chorus after chorus on "How Insensitive" as if he were to never play it again, there are ideas in there that I've never heard, it's almost as if we are in a virtual continuation of "Trio Live" where Pat delivered some of his freshest playing in years. Antonio just feeds off of Pat in a way that reminds me of classic Blue Note hard bop sides and how great drummers like Philly Joe Jones and Art Blakey responded to soloists intuitively raising the heat level. Compare this to "Insensitive" on Secret Story live, another great version, and how Wertico's drumming, Armando Marcal, Steve Rodby combine to form a consistent groove behind Pat for his ideas. The busyness of Sanchez just brings Pat to a whole other level and the interplay to the point where Pat partakes in all the "innuendos and slang" that he enjoys with absolutely top craft players. Another aspect that makes the DVD simply incredible is that it seems when jazz musicians play in front of a Japanese audience they exhibit and knowledge and critical listening ability that allows the players just to let go of any inhibitions, time constraints, ultimately leading them to play their most ambitious ideas. This is not like their Austin City Limits appearance, these guys really stretch which is especially apparent on "The Gathering Sky" "Proof" and "Song For Bilbao". Antonio in particular on "Sky" during his now immortalized for all to see and for drummers to analyze painstakingly, features some absolutely insane stuff. it's not just a chops fest. this man's ability to make a coherent logical melodic statement on the drums, completely his own........ yet obviously rooted in both the approaches of Jack DeJohnette and Tony Williams' very distinctive ways of making melody with their kits....... at one point Antonio gets an astonishing combination of three latin polyrhythms at once...... (and wouldn't it be fun if he and Dave Weckl just threw down? ;-) ) Richard Bona, what is there to say? a great musician............... his vocals on "You" are mesmerizing, his solo intro to "On Her Way" with his African-funk choir of mini Bona's is something that will imprint the melodic riff he creates in your head for days...........he also has a laugh out loud moment on "Bilbao" where he quotes "Rhythm-a-ning" in his solo, I'm surprised he and Pat didn't engage in a battle of bebop quotes. Cuong Vu's "Scrap Metal" feature is painted with eerie tone colors, electric whites, muted blues and reds...... I really need to get his own albums. Are You Going With Me is only the duet portion with Pat and Cuong and we don't hear the familiar snare drum hits into bah buh bah buh bah bah buh bah buh bah buh......... but it works surprisingly well as a separate entity from what we all love. Lyle Mays has made some of the finest statements of recent years on this DVD, "Proof" has him really engaging with the harmony in his left hand, and really swinging, his solo approaches Herbie Hancock intensity to these ears. And on Bilbao, his self made big band section is great..... that was really cool when I saw them live also. "The Roots of Coincedence" surpasses the original and ID Live versions because the vibe is just so different. Part of that is because Antonio brings a real post Tony Williams feel to the groove right before Pat's solo, and also because Antonio is part of my generation (well, close to, I'm 22) he has managed to fuse the influences of popular music seamlessly into his jazz playing, after all he started as a rock drummer. He also brings an authentic drum and bass feeling, whereas Wertico's rhythmic feel was more like rock super drummer turned bebopper =) Pat begins his solo with a phrase which includes a favorite lick but it's used in combination with a descending chromatic phrase that morphs it into something totally new. After several viewings (and more to come)I still stand by my statement that this is the best PMG yet made, I could listen to it with the TV off like a live album but it's something that just needs to be watched. SET LIST. Last Train Home (Go) Get It As It Is Proof How Insensitive The Gathering Sky You On Her Way Intro (Richard Bona improvisation) On Her Way A Place In The World Scrap Metal Another Life Are You Going With Me? (prelude) The Roots of Coincedence Map Of the World In Her Family Song For Bilbao runtime: 2 hrs and 15 mins. p.s. Pat triggers stuff on "Roots" but he no longer uses the Synclavier portion of that Roland guitar anymore, but appears to still dial in on that panel, does that GK-2 A pick up work in conjunction with that? anyone? Joe G.?

because I am a college student, I pretty much have all the time in the world, barring classes to listen, but since I work this summer (bill collector for MCI. hey, the money is good) I usually have to listen after work about 11 at night...... I do need some new and better headphones. just have a crappy pair of Sony headphones with the earpads worn off. I've been interested in looking into the Grado SR 60 or 80 headphone series.

on Jarrett's latest disc "Up For It" the sound is amazing. Although I don't have a super system, a good one nonetheless. The sound is great, rich bass from Peacock (not the crappy DI stuff we've discussed in another thread) and I feel like I'm right behind DeJohnette's cymbals. Funny thing too, you can hear a dog barking in the distance after the first tune, wonder why Keith didn't tell it to shut up first Oh yeah, has any one heard Keith's "Spirits"? I heard "Spirits 17" during a tribute to him broadcasted from Swedish TV over the net, the Polar Music Prize ceremony. What is the general opinion of that "Spirits" record? to me it seems like a sincere effort but an overindulgence in a concept, in a similar way to Pat Metheny's "Zero Tolerance For Silence" (which is intriguing) Spirits wouldn't be a record I'd buy anytime soon, still trying to buy more trio recordings then eventually the solo and European Quartet stuff.

well, at least it'll be here tommorrow I'm pretty sure but I probably won't be ordering from them again either although the apology was nice. If DVDUniverse was importing what I ordered "Speaking of Now: Live in Japan" and "More Travels" I would get it from them, they have been great for the year I've been using them. The only import Metheny DVD they carry is "Secret Story Live", a great show, which I will be upgrading soon as well. A friend of mine dubbed me a VHS copy, great music.. killer "How Insensitive" on there.

Pat and Lyle left ECM because they felt Eicher was putting a damper on what they wanted to do musically. Although the things production wise that were on their ECM records have always stayed with them in certain degrees to this day. If one heard Lyle Mays' Geffen debut without knowing they switched labels from ECM to Geffen you would think it was an ECM recording from the production. The engineer is Jan Erik Kongshaug. I have heard admittedly only Jarrett and Metheny on ECM (thus the 9 ECM's in my collection) but they are a very unique label. The minimalism on the covers is striking. Didn't Steve Reich record "Music for 18 Musicians" first on ECM?

well, it's not that bad. my items will arrive, the president of the company sent me a really nice email Dear CJ, I'm very sorry for the late shipping on your PMG DVD's. The order was processed late on Friday & was picked up by the USPS on Saturday. Since the order was late going out, I shipped it via priority mail instead of first class. The USPS did mention that you should get the package on Monday, however since priority mail is not a guaranteed service, it could take another day or Tuesday before you receive it. As I would like to keep you as a AI customer in the future & for the delay with this shipment, please call me at the warehouse to discuss this matter further. I would like to send you a special recording (PM) to make up for the late shipping of your order. My number is (410) 628-7601/7602. Sincerely, Mike Kermisch/President AI

yep Use3D....... well, I had emailed cancelling my order last night cuz nothing was going on. Mark called me this morning saying the order shipped friday thatI'd have it by tonight or monday..... pretty much that call, because the confirmation was very strong, I thought my email message would just be disregarded. he emailed a few hours later saying he cancelled it for me. I replied and said since he called as courtesy to tell me that it shipped that I thought the email could just be disregarded, and that I was looking forward to receiving it..... they only ship monday-friday and not weekends so if something comes monday (which I think it will) I will be happy, my acct has been charged and everything and in my reply I asked if he did stop the order how could the funds be reapplied either through these guys or not, I will have those DVD's, oh yes, I will have those DVD's, to put it in a Wayne Campbell fashion . Mark Tessier and very cooperative throughout this whole ordeal so I might give him the benefit of the doubt and that some strange fluke happened. my first order with them went smooth, of course mebbe the fact it was a Polish CD the availability was much greater than that of Japanese product.

About a month ago I preordered Pat Metheny's Speaking of Now DVD which is currently Japan only from this store, for which I heard has all the Metheny imports on DVD as well as other Japanese fusion imports. My order was not moving when the disc became available, AI had numerous "delays" with the shipment and the finally when it became in stock, zero movement on my order, no charge on my acct. no confirmation via email or email stating any delays. About a week ago I contacted Mark Tessier the shop owner to see what was going on, he could not check on my order and referred me to their warehouse. I called their warehouse, spoke to the owner Mike about the fact I received no indications at all my order shipped, he replied that he had my order (this was on tuesday) in front of him and that he just had to pull "More Travels" and that my order would be shipped and would receive by friday June 27th at the latest. Come friday no charges, no package from the post...... the only other time I've received complete bullshit from a store regarding an order was when I ordered some Blakey from fye (then twec.com) whereas my order showed no progress for days, and after calling was assured it was on it's way..... the order was then inexplicably cancelled then several weeks later it was sent (this wasn't a backorder either) I called AI again friday morning and Mark would have the warehouse call me but I've already emailed requesting my order be cancelled.... Apparently they are having problems with personnel, but I'd rather not have my order processed as I feel like I might be getting jipped. funnily enough, a guy from the Metheny yahoo board and the Garage at the PMG site ordered the SoN DVD as well and encountered the same crap as I did. Something's not right, and I have placed an order with CD Japan for the same 2 DVD's. CD Japan I have heard a lot of good things about and my suitemate has received a few orders from them in superb fashion. Anyway, avoid Audiophile Imports. if anyone has had consistent service with them, please post.

I hate that thin twangy direct bass sound as well. It's on many many newer discs I have, about the only two players in my collection that have a nice, thick round tone of recent stuff are Christian McBride and Steve Rodby.

I hope a possible new trio one is live....... the last live trio disc even though 99-00 was excellent, the energy of the live disc kicked the shit out of the studio album.

I spoke to the owner of Audiophile Imports' warehouse tuesday with questions on my big PMG DVD order, and he informed me that the PMG may have been last week, well, a week this month, finished recording their new album (with same line up as "Speaking") which will be a 75 minute composition broken down into several movements. Also their may be a new Trio recording with McBride/Sanchez next year. thought I might pass this on to the few fellow Metheny heads here.

Mark me down for the Monk/Trane

Joe Henderson played flute on "Delphia" on Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay". Herbie also plays B-3 on that tune.

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thanks, hey Joe G. I'm going to remaster One Quiet Night today adding distortion abnd a sax sample to Pat's sound today ;-)

I turn 22 today woohoo, got work off and will pick up my paycheck later.

got mine yesterday a friend got the box for me as a b-day present, came a few days early...... Mobley burns so hard on that version of "Walkin", made me laugh out loud. "No Blues" is great too, will listen to disc 2 of Saturday Night when I get home from work tonight.

I got it a few weeks ago, it's a nice album although the record with Anna Maria Jopek gets more play.... However I find the harmonic variations on this disc to be intriguing..... just when you think Pat is going to run thru a fav. chord sequence, he goes in and plays something very interesting. He also doesn't reference other songs much....... anybody catch the "This is Not America" bit in "Peace Memory"? "Over on 4th St" is a nice tune, I can hear the Group behind it already.

Kenny Dorham Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia: disc 2 John Coltrane: A Love Supreme Deluxe Edition; disc 2 (live version) Art Blakey: At the Cafe Bohemia Vols 1&2 Pat Metheny Group: White Album (their first) Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius Anna Maria Jopek with Pat Metheny and Friends: Upojenie Lee Morgan Live @ The Lighthouse: disc 1 CTI All Stars: CTI Summer Jazz At the Hollywood Bowl Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley and His All Stars (disc 2 of the Mosaic) Johnny Griffin: A Blowin Session Miles Davis: Jazz At the Plaza Miles Davis: Cookin' Jimmy Smith: Back At the Chicken Shack Art Blakey: A Night At Birdland, Vol. 2 Monk: Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2 Lyle Mays: Lyle Mays Pat Metheny Group: Imaginary Day Pat Metheny Group: Speaking of Now Pat Metheny Trio: Trio Live

I bought this Saturday. I think it's an excellent album so far. The duet with Burton, the Akoustic Band and New Trio cuts are particularly impressive. I think the Akoustic Band cuts show that Dave Weckl has some feeling now, not the supposed all "chops" I've heard about. The regular CD mix sounds good too. Can't hear the SACD layer unfortunately.

what are your picks for sessions that looked great on paper but kind of fell flat on record? Here are some of mine: The Nearness of You-Michael Brecker: This session had some great possibilities with Herbie, Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, and James Taylor as guest (who did a credible job) but the slow tempos really got things to be kind of stale fast. Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall: again, great lineup but the energy level is kind of low at points even though it is a good album. A bootleg I have from a few months prior smokes the released show. Off the Top- Jimmy Smith. What could have been a old fashioned BN blowing date is kind of slowed by material as "Endless Love" which comes off as kinda cheesy.