Customer Reviews

Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here (Live in Japan)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Over the past 20 years, I have seen the Pat Metheny group over 20 times and every single one of their performances is a unique event into itself.

We Live Here captures a very special period in the group's history, when Pat attempted to capture the spirit of America's club scene and put it into his trademark world/fusion style. The resulting product is a stunning collection of high energy songs punctuated by an infectious backbeat made up of pre-recorded drum/percussion/bass backbeats characterstic of modern pop music.

The music itself is anybut pop. The title song is really a tribute to Marvin Gaye, yet doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to the late singer's music. It's trademark PMG material with a well constructed guitar solo and wordless vocals by his multi-instrumentalists Marc Ledford and David Blamires.

Perhaps the highlight of the CD is Lyle Mays composition Episode D'azur which opens with a brilliant acoustic solo by Lyle and is followed by one of the most complex and stunning pieces of modern jazz ever recorded live on DVD. If this isn't the future state of jazz, then nothing else is. It also lends credibility to the claim that Mays is one of the most talented pianists in modern jazz today, and is on a par with the likes of Keith Jarrett, Brad Meldhau, Chick Corea and Danilo Perez. More experimental than all of the above, his idols are the late Bill Evans and the relatively obscure Paul Bley. Not to be forgotten are "To the End of the World," where Lyle plays a romantic solo that is built on beautiful harmonic layers, and then followed by a soaring synclavier solo by Pat which ends in a climactic thunderstorm. Also worth mentioning is the only live recording of their one hit "This is Not America," written for the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman," and originally featured David Bowie on vocals. Marc Ledford and David Blamires are equal to Bowie's original vocal tracks, and the end result is wonderful.

The opening track "Have You Heard" is Pat at his best, with an electric guitar solo that puts the listener in awe of his improvisational brilliance. As quoted in previous interviews, he is one of the few modern guitarists who know how to construct a solo with a beginning, middle and end. The interviews slow down the pace of the DVD, but they are interesting from an historical perspective.

In summary, this is a must buy for anyone who follows the PMG. Soon to be release is a DVD of the Imaginary Day Tour, which takes jazz fusion to another level not reached since the days of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McClaughlin.

The audio CD "We Live Here" is fantastic! I've spent many nights listening to it with the lights down low just trying to absorb all that Pat and his group delivers. The music is intense and climatic at times, yet soothing at others. So, when I purchased this DVD, I was hoping to receive the same feeling I got with the CD with the addition of the live performance.

The first problem is the placement of the interviews. After each song, an interview with a member of the band appears. Why wasn't this placed as a Special Feature? Can you imagine buying a movie that had the commentary turned on and you were unable to disable it? I usually play concert DVDs while having company over for the music and the visual effect. I can't with this DVD. The breaks in-between each song was a poor decision (IMHO).

The sound is great, yet the video quality suffers a bit. This DVD would be best appreciated by other musicians. All members of Pat's band are phenomenal and are fun to watch. The expressive faces as they play each note is great.

This is one to rent, not to own. I'll watch it a few more times, then sell it.

I am a HUGE fan of Metheny's musicianship and vision, and have been following him and the band for many years. I've come to know the trademark style and effort put into projects, not only from Pat but also from Mays, Rodby, and Wertico. I guess I assumed that the same standards would be applied to the camera work, and production of this recording - not so. I can't believe this video made it to production. To begin, and maybe most insulting is the fact that during the short interviews with the band members, the video producer mixed up the name of the two of the band members. Pat's guitar neck was cut out of a lot of shots, or they seemed to think that his facial expressions were the most important visual. Or when the camera person did decide to shoot Pat's guitar, either his picking hand or fretboard hand would not be shown or would not be caught in the full view of the camera. Solos by the members would not be shown, just so that we can see a distant view of his percussion players. Steve Rodby was barely shown, and overall the choice to cut between muscians came at inappropriate times. This video could have been played just to solely take in the recorded audio, but the levels of audio vary depending on who is being shown on the screen!!! This video must not have been screened by the PMG. I spit on the work of Takayuki Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kambara, and Kambara Music.

This is an excellent DVD, and the perfect companion to a nice glass of wine on a relaxing evening.

You get all the good, classic songs. The musicianship is excellent. And the whole package works.

Despite the negative reviews, I didn't find anything to complain about. I think this is probably the best song selection on a DVD by the group, although the More Travels Live CD is also excellent.

Pat has changed significantly since this era, and true fans would do well to own this DVD as a reminder of a golden period in the group's evolution.

This, in retrospect, is a good dividing line before what followed, a great deal of experimentation and departure from the 1989-1995 period where Pat and the group found the right groove and balance between experimentation and commercial success.

There is plenty of finger work to look at, although more would have been better, and a bit of slow motion for us guitar guys to figure out what the heck he's doing would have been even more fantastic.

Highlights for me are "Here To Stay," "Have You Heard," and "Vidalia."

Well worth owning, and playing over and over again.

We live here (the cd) is a great album. Certainly one of Pat's better albums. I've seen Pat Metheny in concert several times but hadn't heard many of the songs on we live here performed live so I figured it'd be nice to get the DVD. I enjoyed the DVD because I'm a big fan of the album but it's far from being the best produced DVD. I hate to sound like a technical geek but the production of the DVD was pretty [poor]. So much so that it took a lot away from the overall effect of the whole thing. A lot of camera angles were bad, some shots were pointless, interviews were not well done..... The music itself was great as always but the [poor] production took away from the overall effect of the DVD. If you're a big fan of Metheny definitely buy this, if you're a casual fan looking for some live Metheny, either go see him in concert or try to find the Secret Story video (I don't think it's available in the US but....) or get the Holland, Dejohnette, Metheny Hancock DVD.

Old classics (First Circle, Minuano) and more recent tracks (from the album 'We live here'). As it was for 'More travels' you find here some nice brief interviews between the various songs. Almost 2 hours of great music, images and sound are really first class. If you like PMG you'll not repent for your 20 dollars. Audio is dolby digital 5.1, excellent with a home theatre ampli, or in dolby 2.

I absolutely love this DVD. I had not heard any of the music from "We Live Here" before purchasing this and was not disappointed. The group's playing was impeccable, and the sound quality on the disc itself is fantantisc. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Pat Metheny Group and is a must have for fans.
There has been some concern in other reviews over the nature of the music itself. The music from "We Live Here" is mostly more 'pop' oriented (for lack of a better term), which to those who are jazz diehards, some of the tunes will probably not appeal. There are a few tunes on the disc that I personally didn't enjoy, but the other great tracks more than made up for it. Most of the interviews on the disc have some great insights into the group, but a few are not so useful. There aren't any extras other than that.
More extras would have been nice, and a few tunes weren't my cup of tea, but it is still a great outing that showcases the Group's original sound.

As a dedicated and long-term Pat Metheny fan, I can say that this concert and interview video is well-produced and satisfying overall. The interview clips are short, but usually interesting. Pat and Lyle Mays are the most articulate and interesting of the lot. Pat's comments on his relationship to music and the audience capture the essential of musical integrity. (Take that, Kenny G!) Paul Wertico, on the other hand, just shows a photo of his new baby and stammers out a few things...

But on to the music. This tour promoted the "We Live Here" recording, one of my least favorite of the PMG offerings. About half of the tunes have quite a pop feel. Some of these include the dreaded drum machine. There is more voice (but never words or scat) than on any other PMG recording I can remember. Nevertheless, even this "We Live Here" material is well done and has the added dimension of spontaneity and creativity when performed live. The two singers play an amazing host of instruments as well (brass, vibes, guitar, accordian, etc.), which add a pleasing colar and texture. Several PMG standards, such as "First Circle," are featured and played excellently. The low point is "This is Not America," which is not jazz by any standard. It's chief virtue is that it is short.

To my knowledge, "Scrap Metal" has never been recorded on CD. It is an "outside" or intense free jazz kind of piece, probably influenced by Pat's association with saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman ("Song X"). It features Wertico on drums, who relies more a bit much on special effects (cowbells that trigger samples) and a mountain of cymbols. Give me a well-crafted jazz solo on a small kit (say, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes) any day.

Pat is in very good form. He takes off in full flight on the final piece, which features a quick guitar chop as the main phrase. Despite my complaints, seeing this much of Pat's playing makes the video worthwhile. Nevertheless, I'd take a video of a Pat Metheny Trio date any time, since that allows him to improvise more freely and interact with the other musicians in way truer to the ambience of jazz.

Douglas Groothuis

The Pat Metheny Group. Just as they are. Musical perfection, Great songs, wonderful guitar and piano, amazing voices.

As a HUGE Pat Metheny Group fan (I own 8 of their CDs and listen to them regularly), I have always wanted to see the PMG live, but this video was the closest I've gotten. Also, Pat has most recently been traveling as part of a trio or even just a duet...and I'm not sure if his days of traveling with the full 6- or 7-piece PMG ensemble will ever be resurrected or not. I just love the sonic textures that the larger group is able to achieve. Hence, my desire to see the "old" PMG in full force via this video.

The audio production for this DVD was superb and follows amazingly close to the production values and orchestrations on the CD. With some album versus live performances, what you hear live is never as richly orchestrated or layered...as though it can only be produced in the confines of a studio rather than on the stage. Not so with this live performance. With the exception of the applause, you'd never know it was a live performance and has only minor departures from the CD, such as on some of the solos and a few endings.

However, like other reviewers have mentioned here, I found the video portion to be a bit lacking and not up to the standards of excellence that you would expect from Pat. I would have liked to see the interviews put into an "extra features" section at the end...rather than interspersed with the music. I also didn't like that the applause was often cut short...there were sort of abrupt and unnatural segues from one song to the next. I think just letting the cameras roll from one song to the next would have captured the feel of the concert better.

I've always known Pat was serious about his music, but watching him play is a thing of beauty. His facial expressions leave no doubt that the connection from what he hears in his head to what he plays with his fingers is instantaneous and flawless. It's a part of his playing that you never experience until you actually see it. It just adds an interesting extra dimension that makes you appreciate his mastery of the instrument all the more.

From a purely musical perspective, I still enjoy the CD better than the DVD. However, the DVD gave me better insight into how the group creates such a large sonic presence...who plays what instruments during various parts of the songs...such as where the horns come in, or some of the background rhythm guitar work. It was also a joy to watch Paul Wertico on drums. The guy is simply amazing and I love his cymbal work.

One thing I particularly like about Metheny/Mays compositions is the rhythmic complexity. Unlike so much popular music, they always mix things up with some interesting time signatures beyond the predictable 4/4, 6/8, and 3/4. Wertico navigates it all masterfully.

The DVD does include a few songs not on the "We Live Here" CD such as Antonia (from the album "Secret Story") and This is Not America (from "The Falcon and the Snowman" soundtrack). Antonia is a particularly beautiful song...and Blamires comments in the video that Pat had him learn the accordian specifically so they could perform it in concert.

One other thing the video did for me is connect names from the CD liner notes with actual faces and personalities. I feel like I know the group better now...guys like Steve Rodby, David Blamires, and Mark Ledford.

In conclusion, although I'm planning to rent several other PMG videos as a result watching this one (I'm curious to see some of the newer members of the group like Antonio Sanchez, Cuong Vu and Richard Bona), unless the other DVDs are better than this one, I probably won't purchase any of them. For me, the CDs deliver a more rewarding musical experience and the videos served mostly to fulfill a curiosity about what the group members looked like / played like.