The Album Review Club - Week #116 - (page 1381) - You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic - Ian Hunter

Pat Metheny - From This Place. 2020

OK, a change of genre for this week. I'm not expecting to be high on the leader board with this :)
I was always a Rock fan as a young guy but started wanting something else when I got into my 50's. Feeling a bit bored with Rock, I tried classical and although I like it, it didn't give me the same thrill and excitement as Rock. Then I started reading about Jazz musicians, in particular the Sax genius John Coltrane and got very interested.
Maybe the Jazz leanings of one of my favourite bands, King Crimson had an influence also.
These guys lived a strange kind of life, most got addicted to drugs/Heroin and many died young. (Like John Coltrane).
They suffered racism in NY in the 50's (especially from cops) but they dedicated their lives to their art.

I bought "Kind Of Blue" a seminal Jazz album from 1959, John with Miles Davies, loved it and played it to death, then I got into Weather Report, etc etc.
Anyway long story short I'm a big fan of Jazz and it's given me a whole lot of pleasure over the last 15 or so years.
It's a very interesting subject to learn about and quite challenging, but there is beauty in the music these guys dedicate their lives too. And many of them are not rich in terms of money, it's hard to scrape a living as a Jazz musician.
I thought I would choose a more modern Jazz album rather that an old one in that it may be more accessible to Rock fans.

Like many types of music Jazz has evolved. It's not 3 guys with brass and a drummer (although it still can be). The genre has opened up into different versions (like Rock) This album is leaning towards Jazz fusion although Pat's style of playing smacks him firmly into Jazz.
He's been a top player for many years (he's now 67) and toured and recorded with people like Joni Mitchell. He's made a couple of albums with Bassist Jaco Pastorius before Jaco's demise, he's played with many top rated Jazz musicians and for the last few years he's had The Pat Metheny Band, same line up, his long-time drummer, Antonio Sanchez, Malaysian / Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh, and British pianist Gwilym Simcock. The Hollywood Studio Symphony is conducted by Joel McNeely. Also, special guest Meshell Ndegeocello (vocals), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and Luis Conte (percussion)

These are all virtuoso standard musicians. This album was recorded live in a studio. The band were only given the written music when they entered the studio.
The real stars are players in the quartet. Simcock contributes a bunch of outstanding solos. Oh’s contributions are melodic and presented with a beautiful tone and accurate intonation. Sánchez is one of those drummers who approaches the kit as an orchestra unto itself, and is endlessly inventive.

Never one to take the easy or expected path, Pat Metheny goes for three firsts on From This Place: the first recording of the quartet he’s led since 2015, his first “with strings” album, and the band’s first encounter with the guitarist’s 10 new compositions. (The Hollywood Studio Symphony was dubbed in later.) It’s an album, in short, with multiple ambitions—so many that it can’t quite decide what it wants to be.
I'm not going to write about individual tracks as it would be too long.

I hope you will find something you like on this album. There is beautiful singing as well as playing.
Maybe it will open a Jazz door for you, or maybe not :)

The title track.




1660776786928.png
 
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Pat Metheny - From This Place. 2020

OK, a change of genre for this week. I'm not expecting to be high on the leader board with this :)
I was always a Rock fan as a young guy but started wanting something else when I got into my 50's. Feeling a bit bored with Rock, I tried classical and although I like it, it didn't give me the same thrill and excitement as Rock. Then I started reading about Jazz musicians, in particular the Sax genius John Coltrane and got very interested.
Maybe the Jazz leanings of one of my favourite bands, King Crimson had an influence also.
These guys lived a strange kind of life, most got addicted to drugs/Heroin and many died young. (Like John Coltrane).
They suffered racism in NY in the 50's (especially from cops) but they dedicated their lives to their art.

I bought "Kind Of Blue" a seminal Jazz album from 1959, John with Miles Davies, loved it and played it to death, then I got into Weather Report, etc etc.
Anyway long story short I'm a big fan of Jazz and it's given me a whole lot of pleasure over the last 15 or so years.
It's a very interesting subject to learn about and quite challenging, but there is beauty in the music these guys dedicate their lives too. And many of them are not rich in terms of money, it's hard to scrape a living as a Jazz musician.
I thought I would choose a more modern Jazz album rather that an old one in that it may be more accessible to Rock fans.

Like many types of music Jazz has evolved. It's not 3 guys with brass and a drummer (although it still can be). The genre has opened up into different versions (like Rock) This album is leaning towards Jazz fusion although Pat's style of playing smacks him firmly into Jazz.
He's been a top player for many years (he's now 67) and toured and recorded with people like Joni Mitchell. He's made a couple of albums with Bassist Jaco Pastorius before Jaco's demise, he's played with many top rated Jazz musicians and for the last few years he's had The Pat Metheny Band, same line up, his long-time drummer, Antonio Sanchez, Malaysian / Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh, and British pianist Gwilym Simcock. The Hollywood Studio Symphony is conducted by Joel McNeely. Also, special guest Meshell Ndegeocello (vocals), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and Luis Conte (percussion)
These are all virtuoso standard musicians. This album was recorded live in a studio. The band were only given the written music when they entered the studio.
The real stars are players in the quartet. Simcock contributes a bunch of outstanding solos. Oh’s contributions are melodic and presented with a beautiful tone and accurate intonation. Sánchez is one of those drummers who approaches the kit as an orchestra unto itself, and is endlessly inventive.

Never one to take the easy or expected path, Pat Metheny goes for three firsts on From This Place: the first recording of the quartet he’s led since 2015, his first “with strings” album, and the band’s first encounter with the guitarist’s 10 new compositions. (The Hollywood Studio Symphony was dubbed in later.) It’s an album, in short, with multiple ambitions—so many that it can’t quite decide what it wants to be.
I'm not going to write about individual tracks as it would be too long.

I hope you will find something you like on this album. There is beautiful singing as well as playing.
Maybe it will open a Jazz door for you, or maybe not :)

The title track.




View attachment 53132

Great write-up, Bill. Looking forward to it.
 
Pat Metheny - From This Place. 2020

OK, a change of genre for this week. I'm not expecting to be high on the leader board with this :)
I was always a Rock fan as a young guy but started wanting something else when I got into my 50's. Feeling a bit bored with Rock, I tried classical and although I like it, it didn't give me the same thrill and excitement as Rock. Then I started reading about Jazz musicians, in particular the Sax genius John Coltrane and got very interested.
Maybe the Jazz leanings of one of my favourite bands, King Crimson had an influence also.


View attachment 53132
Like you I found myself turning to classical when looking for something different from my usual musical tastes. I found what I wanted there though, the visceral thrill of something like Beethoven’s 9th and the beauty of too much to mention. The jazzier aspects of King Crimson I’m not so keen on although I do like when Spirit go down that route.

Not surprisingly it’s the orchestral parts of this album that have appealed most on first couple of listens but there’s also promise in the noodlings. Not sure I’m going to become a jazz convert but not feeling I need to reach for the off button either
 
Well, I had a 30 second skim through the entire album and thought 'great, this won't interfere too much with work' and put it on the headphones whilst I cracked on with something that required a fair bit on concentration. I thought it would be a nice, meandering, technically-brilliant-but-boring kind of album. Whilst I am a big fan of the likes of Joni Mitchell and Steely Dane, I wouldn't say I'm a big jazz fan when it comes to listening to an album. Jazz, like classical, for me has to be live.

My Dad is a big fan of his and used to play a lot of Weather Report so I'd heard the name, but honestly didn't know anything by him. I knew he was a virtuoso and had played with Jaco Pastorius who was the bass player on my pick, Hejira. I love Pastorius' playing as he is technically off the scale, but plays with a human touch. I was hoping Metheny would be similar but that word - virtuoso - is a label that seems to get pinned on musicians who are technically superb, but are devoid of soul or touch (for me). The likes of Steve Vai and Rush are prime examples - incredible... but soul-less. So, I wasn't expecting much.

Anyway, the America Undefined kicked off kind of like I expected it to. However, the production is just superb isn't it? It's like the band are playing in the room. Not only that, Metheny clearly has an ear for a hook. I was trying to concentrate on work, but I was getting distracted with the astonishing musicianship and the clever little hooks. I ended up listening to the drums, then the bass, the guitar, then piano and how it progressed. I honestly couldn't wait to hear where it would go next. What timing was it in?

Probably my favourite part of the album was the last few minutes of America Undefined. It was absolutely superb. How on earth the band got there from the start of the track, I still have no idea. It is magnificent. I don't know why, but in my mind it started out as jazz then ended up as a Radiohead track at the end - and that's a compliment, I love Radiohead. Either way, what an incredible track that is.

Each track was different, but all sounded like they belonged on the same album. I can play the guitar and keyboard a bit, but it never fails to astonish me how someone can 'hear' these kind of chords and melodies.

America Undefined is the best track on the album, in my opinion but I also really liked Same River, Sixty-Six, Love May Take A While and Everything Explained. From This Place was a nice 'break' too with the slower tempo and vocals.

As you can imagine, I was expecting a smooth rocky-jazz kind of album from a 30s skim but this was far better than that. What an introduction to Pat Metheny it's been. I thoroughly enjoyed the album and will definitely listen to this again and also his other work. Annoyingly, it completely distracted me from what I was supposed to do at work, so I'll put some dance music on tomorrow morning and do it then :)

As I've said many, many times, this thread is at it's best when it throws up something different and this is a superb choice.

9/10.
 
Well, I had a 30 second skim through the entire album and thought 'great, this won't interfere too much with work' and put it on the headphones whilst I cracked on with something that required a fair bit on concentration. I thought it would be a nice, meandering, technically-brilliant-but-boring kind of album. Whilst I am a big fan of the likes of Joni Mitchell and Steely Dane, I wouldn't say I'm a big jazz fan when it comes to listening to an album. Jazz, like classical, for me has to be live.

My Dad is a big fan of his and used to play a lot of Weather Report so I'd heard the name, but honestly didn't know anything by him. I knew he was a virtuoso and had played with Jaco Pastorius who was the bass player on my pick, Hejira. I love Pastorius' playing as he is technically off the scale, but plays with a human touch. I was hoping Metheny would be similar but that word - virtuoso - is a label that seems to get pinned on musicians who are technically superb, but are devoid of soul or touch (for me). The likes of Steve Vai and Rush are prime examples - incredible... but soul-less. So, I wasn't expecting much.

Anyway, the America Undefined kicked off kind of like I expected it to. However, the production is just superb isn't it? It's like the band are playing in the room. Not only that, Metheny clearly has an ear for a hook. I was trying to concentrate on work, but I was getting distracted with the astonishing musicianship and the clever little hooks. I ended up listening to the drums, then the bass, the guitar, then piano and how it progressed. I honestly couldn't wait to hear where it would go next. What timing was it in?

Probably my favourite part of the album was the last few minutes of America Undefined. It was absolutely superb. How on earth the band got there from the start of the track, I still have no idea. It is magnificent. I don't know why, but in my mind it started out as jazz then ended up as a Radiohead track at the end - and that's a compliment, I love Radiohead. Either way, what an incredible track that is.

Each track was different, but all sounded like they belonged on the same album. I can play the guitar and keyboard a bit, but it never fails to astonish me how someone can 'hear' these kind of chords and melodies.

America Undefined is the best track on the album, in my opinion but I also really liked Same River, Sixty-Six, Love May Take A While and Everything Explained. From This Place was a nice 'break' too with the slower tempo and vocals.

As you can imagine, I was expecting a smooth rocky-jazz kind of album from a 30s skim but this was far better than that. What an introduction to Pat Metheny it's been. I thoroughly enjoyed the album and will definitely listen to this again and also his other work. Annoyingly, it completely distracted me from what I was supposed to do at work, so I'll put some dance music on tomorrow morning and do it then :)

As I've said many, many times, this thread is at it's best when it throws up something different and this is a superb choice.

9/10.

My first mental note on this Album was the first track with that last 3 mins - sound was amazing that I skipped it to that bit again for a second listen- Still yet to hear much of the rest. Early days
 
Well, I had a 30 second skim through the entire album and thought 'great, this won't interfere too much with work' and put it on the headphones whilst I cracked on with something that required a fair bit on concentration. I thought it would be a nice, meandering, technically-brilliant-but-boring kind of album. Whilst I am a big fan of the likes of Joni Mitchell and Steely Dane, I wouldn't say I'm a big jazz fan when it comes to listening to an album. Jazz, like classical, for me has to be live.

My Dad is a big fan of his and used to play a lot of Weather Report so I'd heard the name, but honestly didn't know anything by him. I knew he was a virtuoso and had played with Jaco Pastorius who was the bass player on my pick, Hejira. I love Pastorius' playing as he is technically off the scale, but plays with a human touch. I was hoping Metheny would be similar but that word - virtuoso - is a label that seems to get pinned on musicians who are technically superb, but are devoid of soul or touch (for me). The likes of Steve Vai and Rush are prime examples - incredible... but soul-less. So, I wasn't expecting much.

Anyway, the America Undefined kicked off kind of like I expected it to. However, the production is just superb isn't it? It's like the band are playing in the room. Not only that, Metheny clearly has an ear for a hook. I was trying to concentrate on work, but I was getting distracted with the astonishing musicianship and the clever little hooks. I ended up listening to the drums, then the bass, the guitar, then piano and how it progressed. I honestly couldn't wait to hear where it would go next. What timing was it in?

Probably my favourite part of the album was the last few minutes of America Undefined. It was absolutely superb. How on earth the band got there from the start of the track, I still have no idea. It is magnificent. I don't know why, but in my mind it started out as jazz then ended up as a Radiohead track at the end - and that's a compliment, I love Radiohead. Either way, what an incredible track that is.

Each track was different, but all sounded like they belonged on the same album. I can play the guitar and keyboard a bit, but it never fails to astonish me how someone can 'hear' these kind of chords and melodies.

America Undefined is the best track on the album, in my opinion but I also really liked Same River, Sixty-Six, Love May Take A While and Everything Explained. From This Place was a nice 'break' too with the slower tempo and vocals.

As you can imagine, I was expecting a smooth rocky-jazz kind of album from a 30s skim but this was far better than that. What an introduction to Pat Metheny it's been. I thoroughly enjoyed the album and will definitely listen to this again and also his other work. Annoyingly, it completely distracted me from what I was supposed to do at work, so I'll put some dance music on tomorrow morning and do it then :)

As I've said many, many times, this thread is at it's best when it throws up something different and this is a superb choice.

9/10.
Really great review and I'm very happy you've enjoyed it. Even If no-one else likes this, my work is done :)
America Undefined is probably my favourite track also, it's epic.

Re Pat Metheny, I regard him as one of the great composers. He's definitely one of my favourites I have all his albums. Technically superb but with that ability to write such beautiful music.
 
Really great review and I'm very happy you've enjoyed it. Even If no-one else likes this, my work is done :)
America Undefined is probably my favourite track also, it's epic.

Re Pat Metheny, I regard him as one of the great composers. He's definitely one of my favourites I have all his albums. Technically superb but with that ability to write such beautiful music.
Dare I say it, but America Undefined it the best track I've discovered from the "album club". It's a masterpiece, and I genuinely mean that. How on earth he came up with that is completely beyond me!

It's interesting when you say you regard him as one of the great composers. Do you think he has crossed over from being a 'rock musician' to a jazz composer? I've long thought that some of the great jazz musicians - Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and George Gershwin amongst others - are the equal of any classical composer in the 20th Century at least. Zappa is another who seems to have made that cross over to.

Anyway, I agree about beautiful music. I was expecting a master class in how to play "hard music" but it was far better than that. Yes, it's (for me) impossible to play, but it was clever, interesting, beautiful and had great melody. It was like a river, I just wondered where it would go next and how it would get there - and isn't great jazz all about that?

Thanks @Bill Walker for a great pick!
 
Dare I say it, but America Undefined it the best track I've discovered from the "album club". It's a masterpiece, and I genuinely mean that. How on earth he came up with that is completely beyond me!

It's interesting when you say you regard him as one of the great composers. Do you think he has crossed over from being a 'rock musician' to a jazz composer? I've long thought that some of the great jazz musicians - Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and George Gershwin amongst others - are the equal of any classical composer in the 20th Century at least. Zappa is another who seems to have made that cross over to.

Anyway, I agree about beautiful music. I was expecting a master class in how to play "hard music" but it was far better than that. Yes, it's (for me) impossible to play, but it was clever, interesting, beautiful and had great melody. It was like a river, I just wondered where it would go next and how it would get there - and isn't great jazz all about that?

Thanks @Bill Walker for a great pick!
Pat was always a Jazz guitarist. He can play impossibly fast, but he can (and usually does) play more mid tempo melodically. He is very highly regarded in the Jazz world. His band is unbelievable.

His early album with Jaco "Bright Size Life" is interesting. But I'm biased, I like 'em all :)
 

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