Customer Reviews

Travels

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Recorded less than a year after the magnificent 'Offramp', 'Travels' is proof that the PMG were on a creative high. Music was pouring from Metheny and Mays. Extraordinarily for a live album, over half the tracks were entirely new and have not been heard, before or since, on any studio album. And none of them are the hastily put-together "we only met five minutes before the recording" jams that characterise some jazz albums, even some of Pat's later output.

No, every piece here is intricately worked out but allows space for improvisation. Pat said in an interview soon after this album's release that he preferred this version of 'Are You Going With Me?' to the 'Offramp' original. Both have their merits. Both are brilliant. To give you an idea of the way that the use of music has evolved in the 19 years since this was recorded, the live version here also features on a new double CD of chill-out music entitled 'Sunset Ibiza'.

Track #3, 'Goodbye', is a sublime piece of music, similar in mood to 'Offramp's 'Au Lait', and features some Brazilian singing from Vasconcelos, who seemed to spend every concert squatting by his gong, if the album photos are to be believed!

There are two delightfully simple tunes on this album -- 'Farmer's Trust' and 'Travels' -- which are gorgeously executed duets by Metheny and Mays, with the rest of the band in the background. They are almost love poems, a high point in the musical understanding between Mays and Metheny.

If this album has any lows, or rather, any not-quite-so-highs, it is that the two tracks from the 'Pat Metheny Group' album -- 'Phase Dance' and 'San Lorenzo' -- add little to the originals. But they are not lesser versions, and they go a long way towards justifying this album's claim to be a representative compilation of the PMG's early works.

It's almost impossible for any artist to create two masterpieces in succession, but the PMG achieved this with 'Offramp' and 'Travels'. The French might call this farewell to drummer Dan Gottlieb 'Travaux'.

When the Pat Metheny Group came to the University of Virginia in 1984, I was one of the first students to get to the ticket line, not because I'd ever heard of them, or even of jazz-rock fusion, but because the man I had a deep crush on said, casually, they were pretty good and he thought he might go. He waited a couple of days, figuring no one but him had ever heard of Metheny--I did not. I got a ticket--he did not. I think he may have forgiven me by now. The man, who is now my husband partly because of that evening, ate dinner with me anyway, and walked me rather generously to the concert hall, and then left me there at the door to encounter something I'd never heard before. The group had chosen a relatively small classical concert hall with several tiers of opera seating. Chamber quartets usually played there, and Sir Ian McKellen had performed soliloquys one night...not the usual rock concert scene at the basketball stadium, for sure. And it was packed to the rafters. So I squeezed myself into a solo seat between two tweedy turtlenecked junior professors and hoped for the best.

And got much more--if you've heard the music anywhere, you know it can send you on a trek through the darkest Amazon looking for rare orchids or jar you back to your fresh awkward youth with the remembered offkey fumbles of a junior high school marching band on its first day of outdoor practice. I shut my eyes halfway through and let the music peel everything else away.

After that concert, I played the Travels album, front to back, back to front, daily for more than two years. I think I wore out a couple of needles on it. That music got me through physical chemistry, it got me through the costuming course and the late-night painting sessions that were supposed to be my distraction from p-chem, and it ended by seeping into my bones.

The loose-jointed music is perfect for writing to, you can see the great road picture flowing from your fingers as you listen. Some of the pieces are dark and sensual, some unexpectedly light-hearted, some practical and streamlined like the polished chrome roadside diner from the late '50s with the real pot roast dinner that you suddenly spot on your cross-country journey, some wistful at the knowledge that it's time to pack up again and head back to the Greyhound station. All of it is uniquely heartwood American, and absolutely none of it is worn down with false flagwaving cliches. It is brainy, casual, serious, and freewheeling in the same moment, conscious without being self-conscious, and it stirs the faint breeze of hope for America, the real thing, in a way that no Homeland Security propaganda anthem ever will. Go and get this album, now that it is on CD and won't warp like my old loved-to-death LPs. Then take your seat on the bus and start writing your own great American road trip.

1978 was a transformational year for me. Having nearly gotten the bad taste of high school out of my mouth, I was, like most teenagers on the verge of adulthood, in search of some deeper meaning and substance in my life. Of course I didn't realize any of that at the time when, on a lazy, summer afternoon, my friend said that he had a new album that he wanted me to listen to.

I was a rock fan then and so was he, so I was expecting the usual Zep or Doors when I suddenly heard the opening notes to San Lorenzo. That album was of course, the self titled "Pat Metheny Group" and it was the only music that we listened to for the entire day. It was, for me, an epiphany. To say that the next forty minutes changed my life sounds like hyperbole but, in truth, my concept of music and how I listened to it changed forever on that sunny afternoon. Metaphorically, I had just sat down at the table. smelled the food and realized just how hungry I was. Hungry for more...The world of Jazz opened up to me on that day, which is not to say that I had never heard Jazz before. On the contrary, my father had many Jazz albums, but they were, well, they were my fathers... That was stuff that he listened to (and with respect to my father and those talented musicians, such as Sinatra, Art Tatum, Buddy Rich and Count Basie, it is part of the music that I now also listen to)... But these guys just blew me away. They touched me ineffably with their depth of feeling and gift for melody. They touched me in a way that those musicians of my fathers age, talented though they were, could not. It probably helped that Pat and I were both mid-western boys and that he wasn't too much older than I was, and that, as I was to later discover, we both loved Jimmy Hendrix...

A few years later that same friend called me up and said that Pat was coming to town and that we should go see him. Pat wasn't the icon then that he is now of course and the tickets were pretty cheap and not at all hard to get, at least not in my little town. The show was in, of all places, a Cathedral. The irony was palpable as it turned out to be a near religious experience. That tour was part of the band's "Travels" that were later, to comprise this album. I listened to that album everyday as soon as I got my hands on it. Listened to it until you could nearly see through it.

The t-shirt that I got at that concert has also long since worn out, and of course there have been other great albums and their associated concerts (most notably Still Life-(talking) in 87' and We Live Here in 95') but none have affected me so deeply and completely as that first concert in that darkened Cathedral. To hear these cuts now on disc... it takes me back to that hallowed, ethereal, place, all those years ago and I get the same chill down my back as I did that night.

I confess that I have not loved every note that Pat has composed. Indeed he has taken some paths on his journey as an artist down which I could neither follow nor comprehend, but I do respect his courage in choosing that path. Now as I think about it, all the years and all the miles in between then and now, seem a bit clearer, seem to have a little more meaning, when I listen and I smile and I weep, to this beautifully crafted music. And it becomes apparent to me that perhaps this was what the truth of the music was all about; that the travels and the path that I had unwittingly embarked on, all those years ago, While circuitous and sometimes painful, wasn't so fruitless after all.

It isn't hyperbole to say to you now that if you have never enjoyed Jazz, you should buy this album, that if you have never heard of Pat Metheny, you should buy this album, that if you are in search of something in your life and music plays any part at all in that search, then you should most definitely and without hesitation buy this album...

Thank you Pat. Thank you Lyle. Thank you Steve. Thank you Dan. Thank you Nana, and thank you, most of all, to my dear friend who opened my mind to the beauty of this music. Where ever you are, I want you to know that I think of you often and hope you are well and have had safe travels...

There are many tracks and solos in modern jazz that leave one bewildered that a musician can create such incredible, powerful, mind-boggling music. Two that come to mind are Kenny Garrett's wild saxophone solo at the end of "Human Nature" on Miles Davis' "Live Around the World" - the first time I heard that one I was stopped in my tracks and listened in absolute awe - and "Are You Going With Me" on Pat Metheny Group's "Travels". Long before I heard "Live Around the World", I was a 16 year old interested in jazz who borrowed "Travels" from the local public library. From the initial downbeat to start AYGWM, I was hooked. This orgiastic track is one for the ages - a subtle but so powerful build up to Metheny's wrenching guitar synth solo. I could listen to that track time and time again with renewed astonishment each time. To say that the album only gets better from there would be unfair, since AYGWM can be equaled but not surpassed. "Goin' Ahead", "As Falls Wichita", "San Lorenzo" and "Phase Dance" are some other tracks to highlight, but any fan of music simply cannot be disappointed by this album. From a listener who has listened to a vast array of music from the entire 20th century, as well as a fair amount of classical music, I can say that "Travels" has to be among the greatest works of all time. Try it and let yourself become hooked on a virtuoso who with time (say 150 years) will be seen as the great classical composers are seen today. AYGWM alone ought to absolutely blow any serious music fan away.

This album is an excellent compilation of Pat Metheny's Group compositions from the late 70's and early 80's, as well as solid proof that PMG has always been able to deliver more than expected when performing live. This album is worth every dollar you spent on it. It defines a genuine stage in jazz, born after PMG first got together in 1978 and before they embarked in new musical directions (right after the Offramp album). It is timeless Metheny: impecably recorded, inspired, unconventional yet both deliverable and approachable jazz music. The first song of the album is named "Are you going with me"? Of course I am, and still listening to this record. I have not stopped listening to it since 1984 when I got my vinyl copy somewhere in Berkeley, California.

Pat Metheny has had a long and celebrated career, and continues to dazzle into the new millennium. For myself, and for many, however, Metheny reached his apogee of genius in the early 80's, when a string of remarkable albums ("First Circle, "80-81", "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls", "Offramp"), found him at the peak of his powers and creativity, and surrounded by collaborators in similar fettle. "Travels" splendidly captures this magical time, and stands as one of the finest live recordings of the past 25 years. So many things make this a masterpiece, the fresh interptretation of material, the utter joy and peerless skill of the musicians, the varied palette of mood and meter; let's just start with the beginning. "Are You Going With Me?" is the opener, and as fine as the rendition on "Offramp" is, this is better; the version on "Travels" is transcendant. Its insinuating bossa nova beat seduces you from the first and the deft interplay between synclavier, keyboard and percussion is hypnotic and sensual; it is one of the most erotic pieces of music I've ever heard. The quicksilver americana of "The Sky. The Fields" reveal some of Metheny's most meticulously soaring guitar runs; his finger speed is astonishing, and is something he's rarely recognized for. There are also fine renditions of "Phase Dance" and "Straight On Red" from the Grammy winning "Offramp", and another eerily beautiful prairie tune "Farmer's Trust", that yearns with wistful melancholy. In a similar vein is the title track, with its spare arrangement and lush guitar conveying a gentle road-weariness, The live version of "As Falls Wichita..." is started with "Goin' Ahead" and is an ambitious success, remaining true to the original while adding small touches like wordless vocalization. "Song For Bilbao" and "San Lorenzo" finish things up with energy and virtuosity, and with an abundance of pure joy. One is left wanting more, but very grateful that this testimony to a very special group of musicians at their best exists.

I first became acquainted with Pat Metheny's music through Guitar Player Magazine's annual readers' polls. He had won "Best Jazz Guitarist" 5 years in a row. Being a young guitarist, I decided to check out his music. I bought "Bright Size Life", his first LP. I wasn't used to the style. I came from a more Fusionesque background. I pretty much shelved it. It was a bit over my head at that time in my life. I was watching the Grammies back I 1982 and noticed that "Travels" had won the "Best Jazz Fusion Album" category. Probably a couple weeks later, I was listening to a Jazz radio show back in 1982. The DJ played "Straight On Red", one of the tunes from Travels. This song was vastly different from anything on Bright Size Life. I bought the album (yes, vinyl) and absolutely loved it. The other reviewers are correct when they speak of being taken on a journey through Americana. The CD is so very deep; it's almost enigmatic. The melodies and Lyle Mays' playing is haunting.

The only thing I might say that is remotely negative is that I wish Pedro Aznar, who did vocals on "First Circle", "Letter From Home", and "Road To You" (the second live album), would have done vocals on this one....

A boyfriend introduced me to this work of Pat Metheny back in 1988. I still play it regulalry, it is that good. Pat's guitar literally sings like a human being here, the skill and Soul in this album are just beyond the beyond. It left me speachless the first time I heard it and it leaves me speachless still. This is the kind of music that makes one appreciate the role of a musician in society: inspirational, moving, this music ingites the emotions and inflames the Spirit. Awesome stuff, even after all these years.

I'm such a lover of the Pat Metheny Group, it's amazing that I haven't proposed marriage to them yet. After listening to most of their albums, I've had the privilege to realize that they are one of, if not THE most, versatile, creative, exciting, accessible, experimental, challenging, and all-around best bands in the last two decades. However, I started to get a little tired with the same amazing textures, supple synths, rhapsodic improvs, air-tight technique, and sophisticated polyphonies that have characterized the last three of their albums. "The Way Up" was an amazing achievement, but I wanted to get back to their roots, how they've grown as a band, and why people dug their stuff. The PMG of the early '80s had a much grittier sound than today, but their combination of youthful charm and musical maturity was endearing, as evidenced on albums like "American Garage" and "Offramp". As with all great bands, the PMG kept climbing higher and higher as those ethereal said albums were labeled classics. After "Offramp", it seemed things couldn't get any better, but boy, did they ever, as the Pat Metheny Group scraped the sky with the unlikeliest of all things: a road trip.

"Travels" not only captures the brilliance of the band's songcraft and musicianship, it captures the illuminating spirit of their true home: live performances. They get the ball rolling no problem with a predictably incredible but nonetheless intoxicating rendition of "Are You Going With Me?", foreshadowing that song as a concert favorite. Of course, a lot of great covers are here, from the torrid "Goin Ahead-AFWSFWF" to a non-nonchalant "Phase Dance" (I prefer this one over the original), but it's the concert originals that are worth noting. I've never heard so many different styles of music all rolled into one with "The Fields, the Sky". Strumming folk, complex Latin percussion, roots rock, and of course, jazz, fit together like all the best sweets in one cookie. It does sound a little bit like a remixed "Ozark" from the Metheny-Mays duet "AFWSFWF", but it doesn't matter. You're so caught up in the beauty of it all that you refuse to draw any comparison, that is, until you're done listening. "Goodbye" is a bittersweet ballad in the spirit of "Mas Alla", which it obviously influenced, and it sometimes makes me wonder why percussionist/vocalist Nana Vasconcelos ever left the band in the first place. His idiosyncratic, almost Egyptian/calypso voice is a departure from Pedro Aznar and might make you feel awkward at first, but weirdness has beauty, too.

Speaking of which, the Brazilian stuff transitioned quite well from "Offramp" to this, as I found myself dancing about like a raving lunatic at the spectacular "Straight on Red". Lyle gives a solo for the ages on that one, as do Dan Gottlieb and Nana. Eat your hearts out, American high school marching bands! "Farmer's Trust" ends the first disc on a high note, as the chirping bird effect basically states, "Yes, guys. We know you're awesome."

One of the things I love most about this album is its ability to appeal to just about everyone, like the rockers with "Extradition". Pat's use of the synth guitar at this point was still relatively new, but he used to a more constructive effect back in the day, rather than today. Today, he solos on an electric guitar, has a little transition, then busts out with a synth guitar solo. Here, if he uses it, he uses it for the entire song, which is refreshing to me. The title track is an amazingly beautiful folkie ballad, and the torrid Brazilian cha-cha-cha "Song For Bilbao" just wrecks the joint. This was my first full exposure to the fan favorite "San Lorenzo", but I have heard bits and pieces of the original. I didn't hear many differences, and Lyle's piano solo dwindles a bit at the beginning, but gradually gathers steam. The transition from the opening melodies to the grooving "Red Baron"-sounding bassline will have you clicking your heels in blissful excitement. It definitely deserves to be called one of PMG's best. Oh, and the crowd...the crowd...wouldn't I have loved to be a part of that.

All in all, this one of PMG's classic albums, which is definitely saying something, and is a fitting farewell to drummer Dan Gottlieb and Nana. For all y'all newcomers, get this and "The Road to You". You'll be turned on just like I was. Thank you, PMG, for making music for the world.

n3ur010g1c gives PMG's "Travels" a 10...out of 10.

I was into PMG in the early 80's and bought this masterpiece on cassette the week of its release (it was playing in the store where I purchased it). Pat Metheney is truly one of the giants of jazz - breathing the same rarified air as Ellington, Parker, Miles Davis, etc - and really, one of the few of the post-modern jazz players to have achieved that stature. A characteristic that he shares with the greats is that he never really releases a recording that is not in some way fantastic - though some are more listenable than others.
However, let it be said along with all the other plaudits he receives here - Travels maybe his finest hour - in my opinion these evocative, intricate, and finally intimate live sessions - my favorite edition of PMG - when the patina of their garage band era still lingered in the footlights - reaches the zenith of their powers and their power riffs - it's their greatest recording. Question and Answer, Still Life Talking, We Live Here - and host of other great ones, yes - but, if, for some crazy reason, you want but one Pat Methany disk - you've found it - this band cooks!