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One Quiet Night


Joe G

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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!

Edited by Joe G
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ditto on the songbook. Even though I can't read music when I saw some of the tunes the amount of chords and meter changes it was incredible. Also Imaginary Day Live is available on DVD... great "The Roots of Coincedence" there, but hearing that tune live on the past tour was a blast. Antonio added a bit more "real" D&B flavor to it.

Edited by CJ Shearn
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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. :D

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I went a little crazy tonight and picked up some Metheny. On cd, I got Trio 99/00. I've listened to most of the album and I have to say that I was blown away by it. I think it is really good. I'm eating crow now. :)

I went to the used record store and found copies of Watercolors, American Garage, New Chautauqua, and Travels on vinyl for a couple bucks each. I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks to all for your suggestions!

:g

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Like many of a certain age it was Metheny who provided a window into the world of jazz(Offramp blew me away when it came out)and I've stuck with him over the years even though perhaps the Group albums in particular don't thrill like they used too.The latest looked better on paper than it was,I would've liked to have heard Vu more intergrated into the ensemble(I'd imagine the live shows were better in this regard).

I'll probably get the new one,but can't imagine I'll be playing it to death with its limited sound palette.I do hope however they get to release the live set from last year's Molde Festival in Norway,with Pat in a trio with Arild Andersen and Paal Nilssen Love-the guitarist has expressed a hope to put out the tape recorded by Norwegian Radio.And highly unlikely that it is,I'd love to hear the unreleased stuff from the Song X sessions,apparently even further out than the material than got issued.

The trio sets do it for me most these days,Rejoicing still being a particular fave.There have been some good sideman spots too in recent years...

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Like many of a certain age it was Metheny who provided a window into the world of jazz....

Same for me. I started listening to his ECM recordings in the 70s as I was beginning to explore jazz and expand beyond fusion. I think I've got almost everything he's done since then.

Those trio records are fabulous and are among my favorites. I kind of cycle through his material. Those classic PMG recordings with the Brazilian influence always get a lot of play in the warm days of summer. I really dig the most recent PMG but have not warmed up to Imaginary Day. I heard that tour live and the music was spectacular, but I can't seem to get the same feel from the studio record. For me, Speaking of now brings back more of the feel represented on Letter From Home, Still Life Talking and First Circle.

Edited by Ed Swinnich
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Well, I'm going to get myself in trouble now...

I don't really like Metheny post "Zero Tolerance" - that's his "noise" record. Honestly, I defy anyone listening to that record (which I don't think is so bad in itself) to say that it's Metheny playing. After that he did "We Live Here" which I think is dreadful - hollow - as if moving from so far out that he disappeared to so far in that he also disappeared. I thought the quartet record was sour and after that I sort of gradually lost interest. The only record I much like after that is "Missouri Sky" which was Haden's idea and some of his sideman stuff (e.g "Pursuance"). I thought "Imaginary Day" was overblown and pretentious and the recent trio sides just seem strangely anonymous.

So I've given up. This is despite loving "Secret Story" and "Travels" and various of his other records. I just think he changed in the 90s - sometimes he seems to me like a Metheny imitator - like he's got all the old licks and turns of phrase but somehow something is gone.

"Offramp" was one of the records on my way into Jazz.

Simon Weil

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Simon, I must respectfully disagree with you about WLH. There is some amazing music there once you get into the layers. Then again I am into stuff with drumloops and techno ish type stuff. "Red Sky" is an awesome tune with it's 6/4 tempo and 4/4 on the bridge, it's primarily a Lyle Mays tune but Pat's synth solo is hot as are the atmospherics. ID is great as well, it has to almost be looked at from a composition/soundscape/trip factor view as Pat has said it's "music for a world that doesn't exist". Africa Brass how you like Travels? I got my first batch of Metheny real cheap on ECM vinyl too. I almost thought I lost my Travels double CD but thankfully I left it at my house over the break and brought it back to my dorm.

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Simon, I must respectfully disagree with you about WLH. There is some amazing music there once you get into the layers. Then again I am into stuff with drumloops and techno ish type stuff. "Red Sky" is an awesome tune with it's 6/4 tempo and 4/4 on the bridge, it's primarily a Lyle Mays tune but Pat's synth solo is hot as are the atmospherics. ID is great as well, it has to almost be looked at from a composition/soundscape/trip factor view as Pat has said it's "music for a world that doesn't exist".

There's one track where Pat has a solo which builds and builds (I think it was mentioned above) and then disappears into (the sound-effect of) a clap of thunder. Kind of like a slight of hand. That for me is symbolic of the record - it has lots of nice tunes etc, and it leads nowhere (aka is hollow).

I just don't like it, I'm afraid.

Simon Weil

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You just had to rain on our parade, didn't you Simon? :winky:

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)

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Well, in my Pat Metheny binge, I added another cd last night. I picked up a copy of Jim Hall and Pat Metheny on Telarc. I've listened half of it and I'm highly impressed.

I went to the Wherehouse (which is a music store that sells used cds), last night and they're closing many of their stores. I got my Hall/Metheny cd used for 40% off. It was under $5.00 :g

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The 'Jim Hall and Pat Metheny' disk is one of the few I haven't heard. Was lucky enough some time ago to pick up about 10 of the ECMs on 'German' vinyl, fairly mint pressings for about £5 each, which I thought was a pretty good deal. The 'ringer' in the batch is probably 'First Circle'. I had a bit of a hard time with the discordant umpa band on the first track (I guess Pat and Lyle Mays didn't enjoy their time in the school band) but from then on the album (and sound quality) is superb.

I'm looking forward to the new album. 'Imaginary Day' and 'Speaking of Now' were both excellent and Pat's concert tours in each case first rate. And he always puts 110% into every performance that I've seen him do..

There's also an obscure filmtrack release called 'Pasaga Il Paradiso' (I think) which is well worth picking up but seems to be pretty hard to get hold of these days.

Edited by sidewinder
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Sounds like you scored big on those vinyl sides. :)

There's also an obscure filmtrack release called 'Pasaga Il Paradiso' (I think) which is well worth picking up but seems to be pretty hard to get hold of these days.

I've heard that the Map of the World soundtrack is pretty good as well. Do you have that?

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Yes, it's another nice film soundtrack - recommended. Quite pastoral and laid back, very reflective in mood and with some very nice solo classical guitar features. In typical Metheney fashion, also superbly recorded. More rain and lightning effects in this one also !!

The ECM vinyls were a good find. They were sitting there in a cardboard box at a local vinyl specialists - just in and not sorted or priced. Pretty well all of the early ECMs plus 'Still Life' on Geffen. The sonic quality of these early ECM vinyls is a real pleasure.

:rsmile:

Edited by sidewinder
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MoTW is a good soundtrack. There are some excellent themes, the title track is gorgeous too. However I don't pop it in all that much..... I'm at home right now and I left it at my dorm... As far as soundtracks, I had ordered the Falcon and The Snowman soundtrack but decided I wasn't in the mood to hear it right now and I cancelled it in favor of Keith Jarrett's Tokyo '96..... but..... Secret Story is IMO the top example of a wide ranging soundtrack ish Metheny score. Great writing for strings, great Synclavier use, perfectly organic sounds. I dig those blowing changes at the end of "Finding and Believing". Hey, how is the sonic quality of the Still Life vinyl compared to the CD? Pat got the rights back for the Geffen stuff or he will soon, and this may be one of the titles that would benefit from a sonic upgrade. The recording is excellent but the CD mastering shows it's age, ditto Letter From Home. Hopefully a remaster of LFH would correct the jarring levels of "Beat 70" and "Slip Away" as compared to the other tracks.

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I like Secret Story too. Above the Treetops and Tell Her You Saw Me are two of the most beautiful pieces of music I've come across. That solo he does on Finding and Believing reminds me a little bit of George Benson. Great stuff.

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