Pat Metheny Group

Pat Metheny, Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Lyle Mays

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 29, 2000)
• Original Release Date: January 1978
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B0000261NL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,554 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Having crisscrossed America to the tune of 250 to 300 one-nighters a year while getting their sound and repertoire together, the Pat Metheny Group struck gold with this self-titled jazz-fusion classic in 1978. All the familiar components that have defined their evolution over the last 20 years are in place on Pat Metheny Group: the leader's dark, reverberant electric guitar sound and graceful acoustic colorations; pianist Mays's blend of Presbyterian hymnbook major-chord hosannas, Bill Evans-styled minor mystery, and orchestral synthesizer effects; the rolling, cymbal-inflected groove of Dan Gottlieb; and the Jaco Pastorious-influenced melodic bass lines of Mark Egan. On "San Lorenzo" and "Phase Dance" the band defined their anthemic blend of electric jazz, progressive rock, and roots Americana, while the countrylike intro to "Jaco," the sublime acoustic romance of "April Wind" and the brisk jazz samba changes of "Lone Jack" (with the leader's jaunty, lightly echoed melodic lead) speak to Metheny's interest in a wide range of source material--with a commitment to both extended forms and the art of improvisation. --Chip Stern

Product Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Metheny Album I Heard, July 10, 2003

By	Disco (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews

I had heard of Pat Metheny back in middle school, when I first really started exploring jazz. It wasn't until one of the jazz ensembles at my high school played Phase Dance during my junior year that I actually got to hear something by Metheny.

I wasn't in that particular band, but I remember the bassline sounding cool, and I thought I would seek out the record. I finally bought it on used vinyl in August 1995 -- and I couldn't wait to get home and play it.

It was one of the best decisions of my musical life.

Phase Dance is a great song, very positive and uplifting, but San Lorenzo is the album's centerpiece to me. Lyle Mays' solo just blows me away everytime I listen to it. This is definitely not a spontaneous album (and his solo may have even been rehearsed) but it works so well.

As much as I don't like winter, this album has a very wintry feel to me (even though I bought it in the summer heat). Maybe it has to do with the picture on the back of the record, and the fact that it was recorded in Norway during winter.

Listen to San Lorenzo and Phase Dance and imagine snow falling outside, then sparkling in the sun after the storm's gone. The rest of the album enthralling as well, but it's the first two pieces that really shine.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let me share a memory with you..., April 25, 2006

By	CatManDEW - See all my reviews

It was 1977 and I was a student at a technical school in Boston, an ardent fan of Jean-Luc Ponty. There was a concert at the Berkley Performance Center where JLP was going to feature pieces from his Enigmatic Ocean release, one of my favorite albums of all time. I was completely oblivious to the warm-up act because I was there to experience Jean-Luc Ponty but at the opening of the show there was a guitar at center stage positioned on a stand where a guitarist need only walk up behind the instrument and begin playing. There it was, its neck jutting at a 45 degree angle, waiting to be brought to life by an appropriate musician. Soon, a floppy-haired guy, accompanied by the other members of his group, bounced onto the stage amongst tentative applause. The floppy-haired guy waved appreciatively at the smattering of recognition from the audience while the other musicians took their places at their respecive instruments. Slung over the back of the floppy-haired guy was another guitar, presumably his principle instrument. To my surprise, the guy bent over the guitar positioned at center stage and began to wail out the opening notes to "Phase Dance," a piece that has to be one of the best works of jazz-fusion of all time. He played several bars of the opening theme then stepped back from the guitar on its stand, reached back over his shoulder, grabbed the guitar slung over his back whipped it around front and proceeded to crank out a solo that could bring tears to one's eyes. I didn't know who the artist was at the time but I knew that he was talented and I made a mental note to remember this artist for future reference. After his group completed his set, Jean-Luc Ponty took the stage and I instantly forgot about the warm-up band.

Several weeks later, a friend approached me and said that Pat Metheny was appearing at a club called the Paradise and would I like to go see him? I replied, "Who's Pat Metheny?" His response was, "Don't worry about it, I know you'll like him." I thought, what the hey.

After we were seated at our table and a round or two of drinks were served, the stage lights came up and there was, at center stage, a guitar on a stand positioned at a 45 degree angle, waiting for a guitarist to approach it from behind, grasp its neck and begin playing it for all it was worth, which is just what happened when some floppy-haired performer bounced onto the stage, wearing another guitar over his back, accompanied by the other menbers of his band. The guitarist bent over the guitar on the stand and seconds later the first bars of Phase Dance were blasted from the speakers onstage.

My eyes widened. I said "That's the guy!!!" That was the night when I began to fully appreciate the artistry of Pat Metheny, his uncanny ability to wrest every ounce of emotion from a guitar, his ability to express every emotion from despair to elation using nothing but his fingers, strings and a geyser of talent.

That night, I went to a music store and bought all of the Pat Metheny Group albums I could find (there were no such things as CDs at that time) and began a journey of exploration into an area of jazz that widened my horizons to an entirely new level. Pat Metheny remains, to this day, the guitarist for whom I hold the utmost respect and in whose talent I stand in awe.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among Metheny's finest, June 29, 2000

By	Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Before I start, I should make it clear that: a. I love Metheny's melodic albums, but tend to avoid his harder jazz albums (Song X, Zero Tolerance etc). b. I have been listening to his albums since 1978.

That said, I would place this album firmly in a top six which also includes Offramp, Quartet, Travels, First Circle and Letter from Home.

I would agree with nearly all the comments made by other reviewers of this album.

I would strongly urge anyone who enjoys this album to invest also in Gary Burton's 'Passengers'. It came out a few months earlier, and has a similar style, with vibes making up for the absence of keyboards. It marks the point where Metheny's compositional and playing strengths became obvious to everyone, and where he took the decision to devote his efforts to his own band and solo efforts.