I listened to the CD (original Geffen purchased shortly after release) and at that point Paul Wertico hits a finger cymbal or some other tiny percussion instrument, maybe that's it? Cool CD, thanks for getting me to dig it out. Incidentally, Metheny mentioned in his songbook that this 0:57 piece was something he started writing in 1972 and didn't finish until 1996.
Having listened to this properly a few (multiple!) times, this is rather fantastic! I wonder what made Pat change his mind about releasing new music. The state of music business hasn't seemingly change that much, not for the better anyway, during his release hiatus. I guess we'll find out in February.
I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of his whole catalogue but his records are always interesting and "Still Life (Talking) is of the most evocative albums I have ever heard. Not his most complex music but in terms of setting a mood and sustaining it I would put it alongside AC Jobim's "Wave" and "Urubu".
Far and away, my favorite is Question and Answer, with the 20th anniversary reissue of Song X a close second. Not a huge fan of the kind of fusion-y contexts Pat plays in (creates for himself), but he's clearly a hell of a player. I recall a really nice quartet collaboration with Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland (iirc), and Jack DeJohnette - can't remember if it was a legit issue, or a gray-market live release (or maybe one of both), but that one was quite nice too. I saw and heard Pat's brother and trumpeter, Mike Metheny, when I lived back in Kansas City circa 1994-2011 (though he'd stopped playing around a lot by 2005 or so). He also played EVI quite a bit too (more than I was all that interested in myself). Nice guy. Mike was the editor of the local jazz magazine, JAM (which stood for Jazz Ambassadors) for many years. I also knew a number of local Kansas City musicians who Mike played with when he was a teenager, many of whom had some nifty stories.
Sounds like you are thinking of the live releases of the Parallel Realities project (DeJohnette/Hancock/Metheny). There was a Japanese Laservision disc or HDTV transmission that was the source for the various boots, e.g., Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland - Parallel Realities Live...
I’m far from being a completist but I’ve loved everything of his I’ve ever heard. Vast discography, though - difficult to know where to start with it. But if you dip in anywhere, you won’t be disappointed.
Yup, that was the one. I've owned both the regular studio album (sans Holland), and also a greymarket Euro-boot of the live one, of some sort -- at various points.
The second advance track from next year's release. Magnificent. Reminds me of the vibe of Remainder the Black dog by Steven Wilson.
Question to all here, I have most every PM & PMG on US released CDs. Not the WG releases that many seem to prefere. But, was curious as to the 2002 Gold (Japan) releases? Better sound?Not worth the $$ for such small "improvement"? WG reases good enough? Ect.....I love PM & PMG & would like to find the "best" digital(mastering) on them if that makes sense? I have already bought (from Ebay) the Gold (2002) First Circle and am awaiting the post to deliver it (two weeks likely) but, it wasn't ....cheap. Hence why I'm inquiring here(reaching out to you )
I don't know anything about a Gold CD series from Japan, so can't help you there. With regard to the catalog, you have the ECM and post-ECM eras. As far as I am aware, the same digital transfers were used to create CDs in all countries (the DR database seems to confirm this), so I do not understand a preference for a German or Japanese or ... pressing unless one was a collector of discs from that country (or wanted the Obis and additional booklets in Japanese discs). I don't know whether ECM has re-mastered the PM catalog for CD (or the catalogs of any other ECM artists come to that). They have re-mastered some tracks for things like the :rarum series (I haven't bothered comparing tracks off the :rarum discs to the original albums), and there are HD downloads available for some ECM titles (not sure about Metheny, but certainly others), so those would have been re-done, of course. The Tower Japan SACDs were re-done especially, and are an improvement over the standard ECM versions, but the ECM copies are already very good. You do need to go for the 2 CD version of 80/81 over the single disc (edited) version. Not sure whether ECM ever did the same for Travels. For the post-ECM albums, it seems like Nonesuch added compression so many here prefer the Geffen releases. Of course, the Nonesuch versions include bonus tracks. I've not heard a Nonesuch pressing to compare, as my interest in Metheny was waning as his 'Geffen' albums became more same-y and uninteresting. If I were you, I wouldn't go chasing unicorns!
If you can play SACDs then Pat Metheny Group, Offramp & Travels are available on SACD from Japan. As these CDs were well mastered to begin with the improvements that SACD brings aren't enormous but are worth having, in my opinion. If you don't have a SACD player & don't intend to get one then don't bother with them as although they are hybrid discs the CD layers are the same as the standard ECM CDs.
The newest things I have from him is the soundtrack album Map of the World and the collaboration with Jim hall. I last saw him touring on the Brazilian flavored letter From Home. I'm listening to the impending stuff right now...he's an incredibly versatile artist.
That's an excellent point. I forgot that the new transfer was not put on the CD layer of the Tower Japan SACDs!
Whats the difference between the EMC 2002 GOLD CD series vs the Hybrid SACD more recently released? Obviously SACD layer added to latter. Mastering/SQ? Redbook layer? I was looking into this and "thought " I was getting the HYBRID SACD & got the GOLDS instead for First Circle.Have Off Ramp & Pat Metheny Group S/T (both the GOLD versions I realize now ....DOH!)on the way from Japan. I have no SACD player(one day....yes. That would be nice....one day) hence the Hybrid SACD preference for me if that makes sense?
There's a third advance track from the new album, From This Place (Feb 2020), that dropped this week:
The DVD was legit but the 2 CD set is a boot. You can watch the DVD on YouTube. It has been out of print for quite a few years.
So many great albums with such variety! I have many favorites, and will always have a special place in my collection for his debut, Bright Size Life. But I was most recently pleasantly surprised by how much I like one of his more recent releases, Kin (). Fantastic album that stands favorably alongside anything he's done over his long and storied career. I also took quite a shine to his even more recent recording with the Cuong Vu Trio.
The mastering (to DSD) on the SACD layer ONLY of the Tower Japan SACDs is more recent and better. For some bizarre reason, they re-used the original ECM CD masters on the CD layers of the Tower Japan SACDs. So, to obtain any benefit from the SACDs, you need an SACD player! I don't know anything about the gold CD series from Japan, but would suspect that those discs contain the original ECM CD masterings. As far as I know, the ECM material has been mastered 3 times: original ECM CDs individual tracks on :rarum series CDs and albums for HD download small number of albums for SACD layers only of Tower Japan SACDs
Pat's solo towards the end of "Secret Beach" (around the 6:10 mark) from the Metheny-Mehldau Quartet album is one of my all-time faves. Great example of building building building tension and then letting it explode.
These.......are the Golds...... Pat Metheny Gold Collection My 2cents........from a "LO-FI" POV mind you,this Gold CD of First Circle that I do have in my possession now, sounds way sharper than my old US release EMC CD version. I have all the PM.PMG,ect...on OLD CDs since the late '90s/early 2000s. I love this album & know it well (digitally speaking) & I'm hearing some high end /low end expansion in the SQ(IMHO) it sounds noticeably clearer. So ,I was curious to this from other members here in thier observations as well?
Thanks for the reply & I understand you pointing that out. So,as to SACD(Hybrids).....I want an SACD player.....eventually(lol) and my "logic"(however flawed this may be to some) is, "if" I have the SACD Hybrid of Pat Metheny(or whatever artist I really Like) that the investment($$) towards it is ,I have a redbook to hear now & a SACD to hear sometime in the future in one purchase if that makes a "little" better sense or explains my "logic" a bit?
If y'all haven't heard Tap, his release from a few years ago of John Zorn's music, you ought to. One of my favorite things he has ever done, and my favorite album release from that year (among all genres).
Yes, that was one of the motivations behind SACD: forwards/backwards compatibility. However, these Tower Japan SACDs are odd in that they did NOT use the opportunity to make a new mastering available on the CD layer. Labels like Mobile Fidelity use the new SACD mastering to derive a new CD mastering, while Steve Hoffman used to do independent mastering paths for both CD and SACD when he was creating titles for Audio Fidelity. Both approaches are valid, and in each case a consumer who could only play the CD layer got something new (and, hopefully, improved). Since the Tower discs have the old ECM CD masters, they might as well have created Single Layer SACDs instead (which are cheaper/easier to make than hybrids, but not as popular because they lose the CD compatibility).
