Jazz Articles about Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny: One Quiet Night

by John Kelman
October 18, 2009

Guitarist Pat Metheny has, over the past couple years, been reissuing his Geffen-era albums, with and without his flagship Pat Metheny Group. These Nonesuch releases have all benefited from improved sonics and, in the case of Song X (1985), a well-needed remix and the addition of six tracks, completely altering the arc of this classic collaboration with Ornette Coleman. Metheny's reissue of One Quiet Night (2003)--his final release for Warner Bros. before the label dropped its jazz imprint and the ...

The Creative Genius of Pat Metheny

by Lloyd N. Peterson Jr.
November 20, 2008

There may not be another contemporary composer whose music better reflects the time in which we live, yet remains so misunderstood. Imitators may have watered, and smoothed down his rich, complex and innovative art form, but the creative genius of Pat Metheny lies deep beneath the surface, a place of heartfelt passion and beauty, of melodic depth and spirit. But that's not all that is important about Metheny. He is a humanitarian and a significant supporter of the ...

Pat Metheny & Anna Maria Jopek: Upojenie

by John Kelman
November 3, 2008

A cult favorite amongst Pat Metheny fans, Upojenie--originally released by “Anna Maria Jopek & Friends with Pat Metheny" in the singer's native country of Poland by Warner Music in 2002--has been long overdue for greater international availability. The Nonesuch edition hasn't been remastered (it doesn't need it), but will still be of interest to Metheny fans for the inclusion of three bonus tracks (one studio, two live) that flesh it out to nearly 75 minutes. In contrast ...

Pat Metheny w/ Dave Holland and Roy Haynes: Question and Answer

by Chris May
November 3, 2008

Question and Answer is the second in a glittering, altogether too infrequent series of albums guitarist Pat Metheny has recorded in acoustic trio settings, usually on the hoof and with little post-production, which act as a counterweight to his more elaborate work with larger line-ups. Recorded in 1989 and originally released on Geffen, it's been immaculately remastered for this Nonesuch reissue.

The first of Metheny's trio albums was Rejoicing (ECM, 1983), with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy ...

Pat Metheny & Anna Maria Jopek: Upojenie

by Chris May
November 2, 2008

An oddity this one, even within the variegated discography of Pat Metheny. It features the guitarist alongside Polish singer Anna Maria Jopek and a group of mostly Polish musicians, recorded in Warsaw during 2002. Half the set features lyricised and re-titled versions of Metheny compositions, sung in Polish; the other half are originals composed in the main by Jopek and her husband, Marcin Kydrynski, plus a couple of traditional Polish tunes. Originally released in Poland, where it has sold upwards ...

Pat Metheny w/ Dave Holland & Roy Haynes: Question and Answer

by John Kelman
November 2, 2008

As Nonesuch's remaster/reissue program of guitarist Pat Metheny's Geffen-era discography draws to a close, one of the best discs from that period, Question and Answer, finally sounds the way it should, revealing itself to be deserving of even greater accolades than it received when first released in 1990. Better known for his flagship Pat Metheny Group, it's on his occasional trio dates that Metheny really stretches out--focusing less on production, composition, and arrangement, and more on just playing. ...

Pat Metheny: Tokyo Day Trip

by John Kelman
May 28, 2008

Subtitled Live EP, Tokyo Day Trip is a specially priced gift for those who've missed the opportunity to see guitarist Pat Metheny and his trio of the past couple years, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez. At half the length of what a CD can hold, it's 41 minutes of pure gold from the best trio of Metheny's career. The spark that is by no means absent from the trio's studio recording, Day Trip (Nonesuch, 2008), is simply that ...