Customer Reviews

New Chautauqua

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pat Metheny is one of the greatest musicians of our generation. In the '70s (and up to the present day) he busied himself re-inventing and expanding the genre of jazz in ways that were progressive and ingenious, but at the same time totally accessible to people other than musical scholars. In the middle of making some of the greatest albums ever produced with all kinds of bands, large and small, he decided to make a solo album. But this was a real solo album. He went into a studio with a collection of guitars and basses and, with the help of a multi-track recorder, composed, arranged, performed and produced every note of this album himself. Vanity project? Maybe. But not a wasted one. Not only does he show a flawless technical mastery of his instruments, but every piece is so painstakingly constructed and emotively performed that you could love it without ever noticing the technical fireworks. It predated the Windham Hill revolution, but it's still superior in every important way to anything by Michael Hedges or Will Ackerman (and this is coming from a big fan of both of those artists). Almost always forgotten when listing Pat Metheny's greatest works, it never falls from the top of my list.

This is on of Metheny's finest solo venture.Every song is wonderful.A quiet CD,good for that "Sunday morning,with
coffee and the newspaper" His focus for each of his writtings
is "on the mark". This is a must for you collection!!!

Metheny's an innovator and has been all over the map over his long career in terms of styles, moods, textures, and sounds.

Here we have an early effort in which he takes his guitar and overdubs an introspective, wide-open-spaces musical journey across America, weaving in jazz, folk, country, rock, mountain music, and everything in between. If you love his work on Joni Mitchell's Amelia (performed live on Shadows and Light), you'll love the sound of this record.

The mood is mellow but not dull, quiet but not silent, and the results are spectacular. This is the cd to take with you on a trip across the western frontier, or a short hop to Burger King. Works either way.

Pat Metheny has made one his most fortunate records with this singular, innovative and fresh air work.
Even my favorite track is Daybreak , all the album is gratifying. Please acquire this interesting CD that confirms once more the versatility and inspiration of this amazing guitarist.

Recorded in 1979, this recording has stood the test of time - it sounds as fresh and vital as any new release. A collection of beautifully melodic acoustic guitar pieces, New Chautauqua is a landmark recording and an essential CD to own.

Originally released in 1979, Metheny literally introduced the world to a new form of Jazz. It is hard to coing, but New Chataqua might now be classified as the first New Age album...of course at the time of release, now one had even classified that genre. It is a spiritual experience that combines elements of American Folk and other world music, which will trigger mental images of favorite experiences in your life. It is smooth yet complicated, and always uplifting. A must have in any Metheny fan's collection, to see how far he has progressed.

Recently, I was going through my old cassettes in yet another attempt to get rid of stuff that's been lying around for decades unplayed, and found my old copy of this album. And just for the fun of it, I decided to play it again, just once more for old time's sake, and was reminded of why I ever bought it in the first place. The best word I can think of to describe it is "magical." When new, I listened to this album often, and still have good memories attached to it. (The reason it's been lying around so long, I guess.) I first heard a tune from New Chautauqua, "Sueño Con Mexico," not on what was then L.A.'s solitary remaining Jazz station, KKGO, but on an Adult Contemporary music station, whose call letters I forget, who had one night a week dedicated to new Jazz. Hearing this inspired me to pull out an old tape of a live performance of The Pat Metheny Group, which although not without its charms, has absolutely none of the interest or transcendence of this album. Maybe it was just that time -- nostalgia's like that -- but I can't help thinking this is a road I may only tread once every blue moon.

Pat Metheny begins exploring new music routes from almost his very first release. New Chautauqua is the perfect example.
Metheny is all alone on this album, overdubbing himself on 6 and 12 strings, Acoustic and Electric guitars, Bass and 15 stings harp guitar.
The ensemble is difficult to classify in any music category, since it is a mixture of Folk, new age and Jazz.
Released in 1978, it is still very fresh, relaxing and pleasant to hear today.
"New Chautauqua" is a must own for every Pat Metheny fan; whether you are into Jazz, new age or Folk, as long as you love the sound of the guitar; you will extremely enjoy this album.
I personally rank "New Chautauqua" as one of my favorite Pat Metheny's albums.

This is Pat's earliest but enduringly best cd's, especially if you like a great guitar. It's one i come back to all the time,
very listenable, nothing new age here, just good solid Metheny pluckin'. It's a classic!

Having listened to a fairly eclectic mix of music over the last 40 years, as with most people, there seems to be certain favorite artists whose cd/album compositions inevitably rise to the top and withstand the sense of time. Pat Metheny's New Chautauqua is a perfect example.

The music is just plain spellbinding. It seems impossible for any mere mortal to coax these incredible sounds out of a guitar. Do yourself a big favor and play this CD on high quality equipment in a listening room sans outside distractions and I guarantee as close to a religious experience as is possible here on earth.

If you like New Chatauqua, try doing the same thing with Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire III, another of my alltime favorites. As an aside, both of these compositions make wonderful demos for your audio equipment.