Exciting New Metheny Group Info

[BarryL]

From the Pat Metheny Web Site:

The new record by the Pat Metheny Group is called “The Way Up”.

“ The Way Up” is a single continuous 68 minute composition written by guitarist Metheny and longtime collaborator/pianist Lyle Mays to feature the latest PMG lineup;

Pat Metheny - acoustic, electric, synth and slide guitars
Lyle Mays - acoustic piano, keyboards
Steve Rodby - acoustic and electric bass, cello
Cuong Vu - trumpet, voice
Gregoire Maret - harmonica
Antonio Sanchez - drums

Says Metheny “This is our most ambitious undertaking ever as a group - and we have never been so excited about a project. This record takes every aspect of the band to a new level.”

The new record by the Pat Metheny Group will be released on January 11, 2005 by Nonesuch Records with a world tour to immediately follow.

[JDaniel]

I really liked his last album - One Quiet Night (at least I think that's what it is called). He plays a baritone guitar throughout the album that is just beautiful sounding. In fact, we even had that cd playing in the delivery room this summer when our daughter was born (my pre-natal musical tip of the day).

JD

[Hyfi]

is he going these days? His work has covered a wide range of the jazz genre. I have not seen him live since like his first album came out. I saw him in a college uaditorium with 3000 people. I have seen Mark Egan and danny Gotlieb a few times since they split Metheny. I am still partial to his first disk as his best work but I know he has lots I could grow to love. I also have The Road to You live in europe that I like alot.

Keep us posted if you buy this one up, Barry.

[BarryL]

is he going these days? His work has covered a wide range of the jazz genre. I have not seen him live since like his first album came out. I saw him in a college uaditorium with 3000 people. I have seen Mark Egan and danny Gotlieb a few times since they split Metheny. I am still partial to his first disk as his best work but I know he has lots I could grow to love. I also have The Road to You live in europe that I like alot.

Keep us posted if you buy this one up, Barry.

Methney's work with The Pat Metheny Group, which includes Lyle Mays, tends towards soundtrack-like jazz. I think Metheny likes to think about it as world music, knowing no cultural boundaries. That's why the vocals are always "voices" rather than lyrics. The great thing about Metheny is that he has his own Metheny style and sound, yet it goes from quiet accoustic solo's to ripping electric synethesizer guitar shredding. His genius is his ability to combine these into thematic and dramatic musical journeys. If you haven't ventured into Metheny since his EMC days, then pick up one of his Geffen offerings, but go for one with The Group rather than a solo effort. Better yet, for the same price, try to find one of his DVDs and enjoy the playing. The DVDs are okay, but not great, IMO. I found his most recent one, with Coungo Vu on Trumpet to be a bore.

[Woochifer]

Thanx for the info! Good to hear that some new material's coming out in the next few months with an accompanying tour. I was also underwhelmed by The Group's last album. I've had the same initial reaction to all of PMG's albums since "Offramp", but all of those albums eventually grew on me to the point that I really liked them. When he started his Brazilian phase with "First Circle" that had me at a loss for a while, yet those eventually became my favorite albums of his. "Imaginary Day" took a longer time than the others, but after seeing PMG perform those selections live, I really started to like the album. And the 5.1 mix of that album has some absolutely stunning usage of imaging cues that really add to the enjoyment.

"Speaking of Now" is the exception, because I still don't care much for that album. Ironically, I thought that the concert DVD was quite good, although "Scrap Metal" is starting to really get on my nerves! I think part of it might be the revamping of his band before recording that album. I always thought that Paul Wertico was a very underrated drummer, and seeing him recently perform in a trio with Larry Coryell (with a very scaled down kit compared to what he carried with PMG) just affirms his stature in my book. And his previous multi-instrumentalists and vocalists I though more of than the ones he carried on the last tour.

Still though, I'm looking forward to the new album.

[BarryL]

[QUOTE=Woochifer]Thanx for the info! Good to hear that some new material's coming out in the next few months with an accompanying tour. I was also underwhelmed by The Group's last album. [QUOTE]

Given how Metheny raved about Coungo Vu when I saw him during his tour for his last Group album, I went out and bought his most recent CD. It's thoroughly modern, avant-garde trumpet playing. I'd hardly call it jazz. I think I only played it once, and was regretting having bought it. I don't know whether his appearance on the new album is a good thing or a bad thing. I suppose as long as Metheny-Mays are the key writers, Vu's trumpet will be used to provide his clean brass playing style as counterpoint to May's synthesizers. I suspect given the length of the composition that it will be a very structured almost "classical" piece with a number of movements. Maybe a modern 21st Century "An American in Paris."

Of course, you know what's next: Metheny & Mays with an orchestra.