Joe G

Yes, the tunes were mostly from those two albums, with a couple from A Go Go for good measure. I'm not so good at remembering song titles, so that's the best I can do. The ones from the upcoming release sound great. A little bit different, but still in that vein. You know, they are coming to Berlin May 27th. Is that too far for you? (The farthest I go is Chicago, about 4 hours away). It's funny, I was over at the Metheny forum for a minute this morning, and someone left a post about Sco's show in Indiana over the weekend. The guy hated it! Check it out: This last weekend I took my wife to see John Scofield in Bloomington,IL... It was the worst thing I had ever heard. I found myself constantly apologizing to my wife for the music we were listening to. She was kind of psyced to hear him live after I played her a bunch of his music before the concert. Alot of people walked out...The first 25 minutes were because his pedals were all screwed up, then the rest was anybody's guess. After paying $65 for two tickets it was very disappointing And he only played an hour (but I suppose that was because there were probably only about 100-200 people in a 3400 seat auditorium). Yikes! Guess everyone has a bad night once in a while.

I remember playing a gig with a fusion-type band a few years ago. We had a version of Maiden Voyage worked up with a rockish beat, and my part was arpeggios with a heavy delay. Well, we finished that tune and went into the next, which was a blues with a unison melody between guitar and sax. Imagine my suprise and terror when my opening phrase repeated itself. Doh! I forgot to turn the delay off! To make matters worse, the sax player was standing in between me and my amp, so I had to wind my way past him in tight quarters to get the damn thing turned off. Half the head was over by the time I got back into action.

Chris, As a musician (electric guitarist), I would be interested to hear what else you have to say about how the stage setup could be more conducive to good sound production. I realize that oftentimes it's a battle between what the performer needs and what the engineer needs to do their respective jobs. Any helpful tips would be appreciated. The last two concerts I've seen were the Pat Metheny Group at the College of Du Page (small theater seating 800 or so), and the John Scofield Band at the Blind Pig (typical dive club). I thought the PMG had an excellent sound overall. We were all the way back & center, and the levels and tonalities were very pleasing and balanced. I think it's David Oakes that runs their sound; I wonder if you know him personally and have discussed how they do things? The sound for Sco's group seemed to take a while to gel, and it's just like you said, the club was too small for that kind of amplification. (This was John's funk group.) I was wishing I had brought ear protection. It doesn't seem like there is any good solution for music in bars-trying to be heard over talking in a room with horrible acoustics to begin with is a seemingly no-win situation. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise with us. Joe

Aw, c'mon Jim. Name that Diva! We won't tell!

Solid is officially on my "to buy" list.

You just had to rain on our parade, didn't you Simon? Actually, I've seen similar debates on the PMG forum about Pat in the 90's vs. Pat in the 70's and 80's, so I guess you're not alone. You don't have me with you, but you're not alone. B)

I always want to offer Pat a cigarette after he finishes that tune!

As posted earlier, I recently got the Grant Green box set, and last night I gave a good listen to quite a few tracks. Nothing from Am I Blue on there, but the one track from Solid (Minor League) was great. Another one that blew me away was "The Lamp is Low" from Z.T.'s BLues, a Stanley Turrentine date. Is the rest of that album just as good?? Damn! I've listened to a lot of Green in the past, but I've been away from it for a while. Coming back to it now, I'm hearing it in a new way, it seems. His articulation was so smooth. Well, I don't want to go on repeating what SoulStream already so eloquently wrote about, so I'll just leave it by saying that Grant was one of the greats.

Way to go, AB!

Yeah, Roots rocked live. Wasn't that tour incredible? Offramp, with Cuong Vu's wild trumpet solo, and Richard Bona's solo spot singing with the thumb piano were actually two of my favorite pieces. Both very beautiful albeit in different ways. Not to mention Bright Size Life, Phase Dance, Pat's opening solo on baritone guitar, and..... What a gift.

CJ, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. However, the holes in my collection are mostly of the early stuff. Of the albums you mention, Letter from Home is the only one I don't have. I like all those albums, although Quartet has been the hardest to get into. I really like We Live Here, too. To The End Of the World is badass! I saw them in Detroit on that tour, and that song was the standout. Interesting, your thoughts about LFH vs Still Life. I had a copy of SLT and aside from a couple of the tracks (notably Last Train Home), I felt like the spark was missing that was on First Circle. Could have just been me at the time. Why did I sell it?? And, I need to get a DVD player so I can get those concerts! Another thing I'd like to mention is how much my appreciation for this music has increased since I got the Songbook. It's great reading through these charts while listening to the cds. You really see the structure of the tunes. Bev S., I understood exactly what you meant in your post. Everyone has their own preferences. Great chatting with you guys today!

Pat's thoughts on Kenny G: http://www.apocalypse.org/~matthew/other/patm_keng/

...unless your name is Kenny G! Yeah, I forgot about Song X! I like that one too. If you want to hear something without sheen, this is it. Pretty raw, but you're right David, I hear an awful lot of musicality and beauty in there too.

Bev Stapleton's objections are exactly the type I was referring to in the earlier post. Like I said, not everyone's cup of tea. :rsly:

Right on, CJ! I love SON. B)

I'd say: Bright Size Life First Circle Question & Answer There are actually some big holes in my PMG collection I've heard that "Travels" is great, also the so-called "White Album", which is simply called Pat Metheny Group, their first. I might defer to CJ or Ed on this one.

Ah, I understand now. Yes, the PMG definitely has a sheen to their recordings. Might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's a common complaint actually. For me, though, I think they integrate the synths into the music in an organic way. And they are such great musicians that the pop-ness of the music can be forgiven, at least by me.

AB, What is it about the production that you don't like? (We are talking about Missouri Sky, right?) Is it the Synclavier orchestrations? Or the overall sound? With such a basic instrumental configuration, it seems like you would have to try to screw it up.

If there's one organist that should want to participate in a Larry Young tribute, it's Bill Heid. That guy can play so much like Larry that he can fool even seasoned listeners! Man, I hope this event comes to pass!

Just saw this on the PMG website: New Pat Metheny Release on Warner Bros. "One Quiet Night" Solo Baritone Guitar Release Date: 05.24.03 More Info to Come... Stay Tuned. ". . . This record is about essentially one sound, basically one mood, and taking the time to go deep inside that single world." - Pat Metheny The concert that Jim and I attended last fall featured a solo piece by Pat on baritone guitar. Sounded incredible. I'm really looking forward to this one. :rsmile:

I just got the Grant Green box set in the mail yesterday. A really nice collection. The first two discs are all organ dates, the third is piano quartet and trio dates, and the fourth is sessions with horns. And the pictures are all fabulous! So that will no doubt be what I'm listening to this weekend.

Just got back from the Sco show. Folks, that was some BBAAADDD SHIT! Avi is the rhythm guitar KING! John was burning, as was Adam Dietch. The place was packed and hoppin'. Lots of fun. Unfortunately, Jim forgot to bring the digital camera, so we don't have the pictures to prove it. But we did get to shake John's hand and give him a copy of Waiting for the Boogaloo Sisters.

I learned a great many things about Larry from that article that I hadn't known. Getting a headstone for the site would certainly be a nice gesture, especially considering what a tremendous gift he left us. As far as organissimo doing a benefit, we'd be honored to participate, no question. The logistics would be another matter, as we have almost no contacts in that area. Might be something to think about, though. Thanks for sharing this, Kevin. Joe

Going to see Sco in just a few hours. I hope to get some pics to post tomorrow.

Well, it is all of those things, and I'm not sure why that would turn you off sight unseen. Basically, each chapter contains Kenny's thoughts about the different ways in which we inhibit our own potential as musicians, and exercises to help overcome these obstacles. More in the realm of psychology than in the external musical issues. I found it to be very refreshing and well-written (at times quite funny), also very practical. In my opinion, it should be required reading for all music students, along with these two titles: The Listening Book, and, A Musical Life, both by W.A. Mathieu. I guess I'm more the philosophical type, and enjoy mulling over the deeper meanings of what we do. Some people don't care about that, but that's okay. But if you are even just a little curious, I'd say check it out. "Let go of your hang-ups, Beavis." -Butthead