Pat Metheny

[HammerDown]

Pat Metheny, especially PMG with Lyle Mays is my all-time favorite music, no close second.

Curious what you guys think of From This Place. After about 20 listens, I'm sticking with my initial feelings as each track was pre-released: I'm disappointed. Not horribly but definitely disappointed and I'll tell you why...

The composition is really, really good but, after a lot of thought, I can finally express why this album will never make it into even my top 10 Metheny releases:

Throughout the album it feels like the music is trying to highlight the world-class musicians, which never-ever happened with Lyle Mays, and here's an opinion Metheny elitests will bristle at, or Paul Wertico.

Antonio Sanchez' playing is grotesquely "busy" on this album and I just can't get used to Gwilym Simcock always sounding slightly out of tune and off-key. The solos are so abrupt.

Lyle Mays > Gwilym Simcock
Paul Wertico > Antonio Sanchez

Listen to this album and tell me the drums aren't "in the way" a lot of the time. Once I started noticing, I couldn't stop.

What do you guys think?

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

I like most of it.

This is my favorite track.

It, to me sounds like the old classic PMG stuff.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

This one too.

FTR..I don't feel like the drum parts are too much here.

That said, as far as Mays >>> Simcock, or Wertico >>> Sanchez...I couldn't agree more.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Another nice one for sure....

 

[HammerDown]

Yeah, it's all very decent but my expectations and hopes are always going to be for another Secret Story or [insert classic PMG release here] and it's pretty clear Metheny isn't planning on going back there for now.

 

[beardown07]

I can't get into jazz??

It sounds like every band member is playing a different song. lulz

 

[HammerDown]

I can't get into jazz??

It sounds like every band member is playing a different song. lulz

Some of it literally is that. Here, let me show you something far different. This jazz is a dry martini. It's the closest thing there is to perfect music IMO.

 

[HammerDown]

I can't get into jazz??

It sounds like every band member is playing a different song. lulz

Do some herb of choice and listen to good jazz and you'll start feeling the frequencies.

 

[beardown07]

Some of it literally is that. Here, let me show you something far different. This jazz is a dry martini. It's the closest thing there is to perfect music IMO.

I can appreciate it.

I feel like I'm walking the upper deck of a cruise ship with a drink in tow and wearing a Hawaiian shirt doe.

I like my music a little rougher around the edges.

 

[HammerDown]

I can appreciate it.

I feel like I'm walking the upper deck of a cruise ship with a drink in tow and wearing a Hawaiian shirt doe.

I like my music a little rougher around the edges.

I do, too. But most of the time, about 99% of the time in fact, it's jazz for me but more modern stuff like Pat Metheny Group - my favorite music ever. Second to that is probably Keith Jarrett or Paul Desmond.

 

[beardown07]

I do, too. But most of the time, about 99% of the time in fact, it's jazz for me but more modern stuff like Pat Metheny Group - my favorite music ever. Second to that is probably Keith Jarrett or Paul Desmond.

will investigate

 

[HammerDown]

will investigate

An old guy once told me an amazing story about doing some cowpatty 'shrooms and listening to Miles Davis. He said he felt a perfect mathematical frequency and saw numbers everywhere and went to God mode mathematically and could do the Fibonacci sequence in reverse. Next morning he woke up was back to not being able to do 2+2. I was LOL'ing.

 

[beardown07]

An old guy once told me an amazing story about doing some cowpatty 'shrooms and listening to Miles Davis. He said he felt a perfect mathematical frequency and saw numbers everywhere and went to God mode mathematically and could do the Fibonacci sequence in reverse. Next morning he woke up was back to not being able to do 2+2. I was LOL'ing.

I have a handful of bands/musicians, where a lovely experience on hallucinogens made me like them.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I can't get into jazz??

It sounds like every band member is playing a different song. lulz

Jazz is probably my number one music genre.

Love classic rock, but most of the songs I've heard 5000 times already so I don't play it as much at home...Pat Matheny is more modern jazz (fusion)...I like all of it, but of late I'm on an acoustic jazz kick the last few months.

 

[beardown07]

Jazz is probably my number one music genre.

Love classic rock, but most of the songs I've heard 5000 times already so I don't play it as much at home...Pat Matheny is more modern jazz (fusion)...I like all of it, but of late I'm on an acoustic jazz kick the last few months.

Grew up on classic rock, but seldom seek it out to listen to for the same reasons...have heard it a bazillion times. There is sooo much great shit from the 80's and 90's that never hit the airwaves tho. Been catching up on that lately. And contrary to popular opinion, there is a shit ton of new rock that is great. Music has never been more accessible to fans. You can wormhole on youtube for days.

Like I said, it's an unpopular opinion, especially among older folks, but I think music is at its best point, right now. Popular music isn't, but it's always been shit, in reality. The best music throughout time never got much, if any airplay.

 

[HammerDown]

Grew up on classic rock, but seldom seek it out to listen to for the same reasons...have heard it a bazillion times. There is sooo much great shit from the 80's and 90's that never hit the airwaves tho. Been catching up on that lately. And contrary to popular opinion, there is a shit ton of new rock that is great. Music has never been more accessible to fans. You can wormhole on youtube for days.

Like I said, it's an unpopular opinion, especially among older folks, but I think music is at its best point, right now. Popular music isn't, but it's always been shit, in reality. The best music throughout time never got much, if any airplay.

My main issue is that I listen to music produced up until the early 2000's and it sounds more or less real. The new technology enabling anyone to do professional music production from their office is amazing but it makes music sound thin and synthetic to me. A live recording from a jazz club in the late 60's on vinyl is the opposite end of the spectrum. You can hear the glasses tinkling and smell the smoke in the room. It's warm and you're there. This shit now is so clean and sterile, man.

 

[beardown07]

My main issue is that I listen to music produced up until the early 2000's and it sounds more or less real. The new technology enabling anyone to do professional music production from their office is amazing but it makes music sound thin and synthetic to me. A live recording from a jazz club in the late 60's on vinyl is the opposite end of the spectrum. You can hear the glasses tinkling and smell the smoke in the room. It's warm and you're there. This shit now is so clean and sterile, man.

Popular music is worse than its ever been.


There is a buncha artists and producers that won't go near digital.

Check out Steve Albini.(Big Black, R@peman and Shellac)

He's also a producer whose most famous works would be Pixies Surfer Rosa and Nirvana's In Untero. Dude's pretty cool for a nerd. He accepts no royalties for his productions. Strictly analog.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Grew up on classic rock, but seldom seek it out to listen to for the same reasons...have heard it a bazillion times. There is sooo much great shit from the 80's and 90's that never hit the airwaves tho. Been catching up on that lately. And contrary to popular opinion, there is a shit ton of new rock that is great. Music has never been more accessible to fans. You can wormhole on youtube for days.

Like I said, it's an unpopular opinion, especially among older folks, but I think music is at its best point, right now. Popular music isn't, but it's always been shit, in reality. The best music throughout time never got much, if any airplay.

I grew up on classic rock and R&B/Funk mostly...picked up jazz fusion in the 90s, and some old school (acoustic 50s-60s) jazz...for most of the last decade I've been learning, and collecting Miles Davis, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Brubeck, that era.

As for the rock that never quite made to classic status, you're right...there is a lot of that out there.

I'm a month into a 90 trial on Amazon Unlimited so I'm circling back on a lot of music from decades ago.

 

[HammerDown]

I grew up on classic rock and R&B/Funk mostly...picked up jazz fusion in the 90s, and some old school (acoustic 50s-60s) jazz...for most of the last decade I've been learning, and collecting Miles Davis, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Brubeck, that era.

As for the rock that never quite made to classic status, you're right...there is a lot of that out there.

I'm a month into a 90 trial on Amazon Unlimited so I'm circling back on a lot of music from decades ago.

I definitely dig Bill Evans and Coltrane but so much of Miles Davis is just too "out there" for me and I appreciate Dave Brubeck but, like John Scofield, for the life of me I just can't get into it.

Chet Baker is also very near the top of the list as is Enrico Rava and Ralph Towner. The Ralph Towner station on Pandora is pure gold.

The entire ECM catalog got put on Apple Music about a year or so ago. Priceless.

I'm outside the US but if I weren't I'd be working hard on collecting vinyl. You have any vinyl? My Dad has so much old vinyl, especially Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Keith Jarrett, etc.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I definitely dig Bill Evans and Coltrane but so much of Miles Davis is just too "out there" for me and I appreciate Dave Brubeck but, like John Scofield, for the life of me I just can't get into it.

Chet Baker is also very near the top of the list as is Enrico Rava and Ralph Towner. The Ralph Towner station on Pandora is pure gold.

The entire ECM catalog got put on Apple Music about a year or so ago. Priceless.

I'm outside the US but if I weren't I'd be working hard on collecting vinyl. You have any vinyl? My Dad has so much old vinyl, especially Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Keith Jarrett, etc.

IMO Miles Davis was a pioneer that largely influenced most of the jazz artist to follow him...especially the Jazz Fusion era.......the Miles Davis' collection is very deep and vast...but I've heard similar comments to yours.

There were basically 4 phases of his band leading career.

• Pre-Coltrane...some discovery work with Sonny Rollins here
• The Coltrane era...the 1st great quintet
• The Gil Evans era...full orchestra era
• The Wayne Shorter/Hancock era...the 2nd great quintet

If you stick to pre-coltrane and the Coltrance eras...imo you can't miss with Miles...I have about 8 albums (actually SACDs) from this era and all are good. Classics such as Kind of Blue, Round About Midnight, Milestones.

The Gil Evans era produced classic albums such as Sketches of Spain and Porgy & Bess...I like this era, especially Sketches Of Spain, but clearly Miles was exploring.

Shorter/Hancock...Miles was ready to plug in (literally) and this younger group was open to his ideas of electric instruments. While this band produced some of his more popular 60s material, such as Someday My Prince Will Come, Nefertitti, and ESP...they also produced most of the off the grid, WTF is this music such as Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way. This is when the jazz media thought Miles had gone off the deep end....I have 3 of these albums and when you let you guard down and just listen...may have been Miles most artistic period.

Vinyl resurgence...I just can't get back into it. I sold my entire (not a ton, but a good 300 or so albums) collection back when CDs were firmly entrenched as the new medium. I've thought about it, but aside from the nostalgia part of it...I'm very content with SACDs or redbook CDs.

Corea, Burton, Towner Baker, there's a lot of guys...I have about 200 classic jazz or acoustic jazz recordings...Later in the year I plan to get a Qobuz subscription to expand my library from a few hundred to unlimited.