Pat Metheny - Letter From Home
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Artist: Pat MethenyBrand: PAT METHENY GROUP
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2006-02-07
Music Label: Nonesuch
Soundtracks:
- Have You Heard
- Every Summer Night
- Better Days Ahead
- Spring Ain't Here
- 45/8
- 5-5-7
- Beat 70
- Dream of the Return
- Are We There Yet
- Vidala
- Slip Away
- Letter From Home
Free Music Notes for Letter From Home
Free Music Review: Dear John, I'm in love with Pat Metheny...
Hit: 5 Stars
Having succumb to inhaling almost everything the Pat Metheny Group has made (I still haven't listened to "Quartet" yet), I've been erratic about my listening sessions: hearing the climax of "First Circle" only to flip to "Straight on Red" before the song even ends. I decided to sit down with each record and truly explore them in their entirety. It's been truly rewarding, particularly for this album.
"Letter From Home" represents the PMG at their popular best, continuing to expand their musical horizons with long (and occasionally eerie) arrangements but at the same time loading up those tunes with distinct yet catchy melodies to intoxicate the casual ear. Also, if that means creating neo-jazz standards such as the opening "Have You Heard", which also happened to be my first exposure to the PMG when it was covered on the live "The Road to You", then all the better.
Despite the exquisite qualities that this album possesses, it seems to have turned more conservative listeners off due to its lavishly smooth production and heavy synth manipulation, striking comparisons to (shudder)...ELEVATOR MUSIC! To the haters, I say this: I have the Pat Metheny Songbook, I've looked at it, tried to play it, and failed miserably. I can hardly think of a song that's taken in 5/4, 7/4, and 6/8 with numerous triplets and syncopations to be considered muzak. Besides, songs that might get that recognition such as the sultry and seductive "Spring Ain't Here" are much too sophisticated and loaded with heart. There are occasions when Pat and Lyle's solos go on a little too long, like on the intricate web of "5-5-7" and on the soulful "Every Summer Night", but when the soaring vocals of Pedro Aznar and the rhythmic mastery of Paul Wertico, Steve Rodby, and Armando Marcal kick in, we can forgive them.
The jamming Brazilian tunes like "Better Days Ahead" and "45/8" are organic and reminiscent of one of Pat's hero Milton Nascimento, but "Better Days" and the samba "Beat 70" enjoyed more uptempo treatment live, with a great piano solo by Lyle on the former. Speaking of "Beat 70", it's nice and catchy, but I far prefer "Straight on Red" from PMG's first live album, "Travels".
It's at this point that the album takes a turn for the mellow and abstract. "Dream of the Return" once again brilliantly showcases Pedro Aznar's beautiful voice, soarly missed from "Still Life (Talking)", and Lyle Mays shys away from shyness with an in-your-face free jazz synth jam "Are We There Yet". I didn't like "Vidala" as much as "Dream", particularly because it's written in too high a key for Pedro's voice. He sounds like a bad "American Idol" auditioner on the part about the Guard of the Temple, but the rest of song is quite lovely. We go from lovely to kickin' with "Slip Away", one of the most layered and melodically brilliant things Pat has ever conceived, and the title track is a soothing lullaby to dreamworld after a long days' worth of great music.
A long journey is far too overused metaphor to describe musical works. This is a great introductory novel to the sprawling library of the Pat Metheny Group, a rare combination of commercial appeal and artistic triumph, and a door that opened new worlds of what jazz could become. Read this letter; you'll enjoy it.
n3ur010g1c gives "Letter From Home" a 10...out of 10.75 (93%)
Letter From Home Poster
No description available.Genre: Jazz Music
Rating:
Release Date: 0000-00-00
Media Type: Compact Disk
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