Jim Hall & Pat Metheny

Jim Hall, Pat Metheny

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 1999)
• Original Release Date: April 27, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00000IFTK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,599 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Lookin' Up [Studio Recording]

2. All the Things You Are [Live]

3. Birds and the Bees [Live]

4. Improvisation, No. 2 [Studio Recording]

5. Falling Grace [Studio Recording]

6. Ballad Z [Studio Recording]

7. Summertime [Live]

8. Farmer's Trust [Live]

9. Cold Spring [Live]

10. Improvisation, No. 2 [Studio Recording]

11. Into the Dream [Studio Recording]

12. Don't Forget [From Passaggio Per Il Paradiso][Version]

13. Improvisation, No. 3 [Studio Recording]

14. Waiting to Dance [Studio Recording]

15. Improvisation, No. 4 [Studio Recording]

16. Improvisation, No. 5 [Studio Recording]

17. All Across the City [Live]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The presence of Pat Metheny on Jim Hall's 1998 By Arrangement fulfilled the younger guitarist's long-standing dream of recording with Hall. But these duets confirm how beautiful their performing together could become. Unlike many encounters between high-profile guitarists, these recordings, from both a New York studio and a Pittsburgh concert, show no sense of competition or interest in displays of empty virtuosity. Instead, the CD's true to the enduring spirit of Hall's music, emphasizing interaction and a subtle complexity. Hall plays the lightly amplified electric guitar that is his trademark, with a gorgeous liquid tone, while Metheny brings a bevy of instruments to the meeting, including a standard electric (no synth), several acoustics--including a fretless classical--and his 42-string model for some remarkably harplike effects. There's tremendous variety in the music and thought in the choices of tunes and approaches. "The Birds and the Bees," played in memory of its composer, the late guitarist Attila Zoller, has a haunting depth, while the frequently played "Summertime" achieves a new identity in Metheny's arrangement, with spare and vibrant lead contrasting with animated rhythm guitar. Both musicians are adept composers, and highlights include Metheny's "Ballad X" and Hall's increasingly propulsive "Cold Spring." Given that Hall participated in one of the first recorded examples of free improvisation, "Free Form" with the Chico Hamilton Quintet in 1955, and Metheny has recorded with the British avant-gardist Derek Bailey, it's fitting that the two guitarists test the limits of their empathy in five brief and intriguing collective improvisations that sometimes explore unusual textures and microtonal harmonies. Whatever the material, though, the earmarks of the set are a quiet energy and a sustained lyric invention that invite and reward repeated listenings. The recording quality is superb, capturing every nuance of this music that seems to live near the core of the jazz guitar ethos. --Stuart Broomer

From Jazziz

When guitarists Jim Hall and Pat Metheny discussed what they'd play during their first recording sessions together, a number of ideas were tossed around. At one point, Metheny suggested they play some of the bossa nova songs that helped Hall build his reputation back in the '60s. "We agreed that we would do some 'free' things instead," says Hall. "That was mostly through my pushing because I didn't want to do all Jobim tunes - which I love, but they've been done for 30 years." In the end, five free improvisations were recorded, four tunes from Metheny's songbook, four from Hall's, and four standards, all of which can be heard on Telarc's new Jim Hall & Pat Metheny.

--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masters at work, July 27, 2003

By A Customer

I started listening to Pat Metheny a couple of years back, and he was one of the first jazz guitarists I heard that really got to me.
His unique, warm tone, and fluency - like running water but in impeccable form and distinction, in his playing, are things that make him one of the world's most amazing guitar players, in my book. Adding to this his enormous versatility in music, the reason he's my, and many others', greatest musical influence becomes quite clear.

Who I didn't know of until I saw this CD, was Jim Hall, oddly enough. Later on, I found out through reading a lot of Pat Metheny biographies and interviews, that Jim Hall has been one of Metheny's greatest musical influences.
Then it all became very clear to me.
Hall's warm, rich tone, and way of playing, is unmistakably reflected in Metheny's, but it's not a copy at all, and that's what makes great artists; learning from the master, but creating your own, and becoming a master yourself, in your own way.

In the store, I wanted to listen a little to this CD before buying it, only knowing who Pat Metheny was. After 20 seconds (literally), I took of the headphones and put my money on the desk. It was magic.
The way these two masters together interpret the songs on this cd; their own, others', is amazing. The music has such a strong soul in it, that it's kept this album very high on my list for as long as I've owned it (since it came out).

Hearing this CD is getting a remarkable insight into the fanstastic musical ideas and spirit of these two, amazing guitarists and human beings.
It has given me a whole new view on music, and it really steered me into a totally new understanding of music, being but a kid when I bought it (I was born in 1985).
I strongly recommend you buy it, too. This kind of chemistry doesn't happen very often.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treat!, February 4, 2002

By	Todd Ebert (Long Beach California) - See all my reviews

I must admit that this cd had been collecting dust for the first two years of ownership in favor of ones (e.g. "Letter from Home") that featured Pat Metheny's brilliant guitar work in a group setting. Yeah, it was hard for my ear to appreciate some of the more subtle and contemplative guitar duet's found on this recording. But then a few things happened: I began to listen to the "Intermodulations" recording Jim Hall did with Bill Evans, which helped me appreciate Jim's ability to harmonize so well with other string instruments. Beautiful stuff! Around the same time I also began to become even more impressed with music Pat Metheny's done over the past 20 years, especially the way he harmonizes with Lyle Mays on keyboards. And the music Pat and Jim produce on this recording seems just as impressive. They are so much in tune with one another, it is obvious that both were putting out their best performances in an effort to convey their admiration for one another. There is even a wonderful rendition of "Into the Dream", made famous on Metheny's "Imaginary Day" recording, in which Hall's accompaniment adds a coat of lush texture to a tune that was already rich in harmony and imagination from the strokes of Metheny's 42-string pikasso guitar. So my advice is to give this cd a chance, and keep listening to appreciate the interplay between these two legendary musicians.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mentor and Student, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

A great chance for Metheny fans to be introduced to Jim Hall, who is one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Metheny's sound is so distinctive that he tends to dominate, just like last years "Summer Running" with Frisell. My only complaint is that Summertime has shades of a Windam Hill Winter in it. Overall, this is a great mix of standards, improvisations, and compositions by both artist.