Trio 99>00

Pat Metheny

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000046S1F
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,962 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Think "Pat Metheny trio record" and you'll probably recall his groundbreaking Bright Size Life or the more abstract Rejoicing (with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins) or even Question and Answer (Dave Holland, Roy Haynes). Well, keep thinking. Trio 99-00 is the popular guitarist-composer's most straight-ahead, no-muss, no-fuss recording yet. Recorded over two days with the remarkable team of drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Larry Grenadier, Trio 99-00 covers much compositional and stylistic ground but is essentially a hard-bop-tinged blowing session. Metheny's Sonny Rollins-ish originals include "(Go) Get It," "Soul Cowboy" (featuring amazing chordal guitar), "What Do You Want?" and a blazing trio variation on "Lone Jack," which appeared on the first Pat Metheny Group album. Unusual choices are made throughout: a sensually swinging "Giant Steps," an elegant "A Lot of Livin' to Do," and inclusion of Wayne Shorter's queasy gem, "Capricorn." And as always, Pat can't help but get sentimental on acoustic guitar, culminating in the first studio rendition of "Travels." This isn't for the faint-hearted, nor those waiting for another PMG travelogue like We Live Here or Letter from Home. This is pure jazz slam, a trio showdown with the gloves off. --Ken Micallef

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Trio record of the year - Metheny's best ever!, March 11, 2000

By A Customer

I have always enjoyed Metheny's trio records, but this is by far his best one. His rapport with Grenadier and Stewart is at the highest level. I have a feeling that some people will be more impressed with people like Haden, Higgins, Haynes or Holland because of their names, but make no mistake about it, these younger players are the major guys of THEIR generation. Pastorius was unknown when he showed up on Bright Size Life and now he is a legend and people talk about him like he was always like that - and when BSL came out he went almost unnoticed. It will be like that with Bill Stewart on this record - in the future people will talk about his performance on Trio 99/00 as a seminal moment in jazz drumming and interaction with a soloist. As far as Metheny goes - his playing and level of pure inspriation has never been higher that on this recording. There is just so much going on it is hard to know where to begin. His time feeling, his incredible melodic sophistication, the adventurousness of his lines, everything add up to a new standard being set for jazz guitar. But for the highlights are the new Metheny compositions. There are more great new Metheny "jazz" tunes here than on any of his other records. Already I am hearing people play three songs from this record live - the two blues tunes Soul Cowboy and Go Get it and the rhythm changes tune What do You Want. They are much better compositions than either BSL or Q and A. If I had to recommend just one Metheny record to someone who wanted to check what the guy can do with a guitar in his hands, this would be it. I would give it more stars if I could!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metheny at his absolute best, most vital, March 21, 2000

By	Ailer (chicago) - See all my reviews

Metheny is possibly the greatest jazz guitarist ever. And I say that with full knowledge of all the Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Grant Green, Django records ever made. High praise? Yes, indeed - but this record is the capper to a 10 year string of sensational releases that Metheny has put together in his recorded output that outrank just about any musician of this era.

With this record, Metheny brings a harmonic and rhythmic ingenuity to his instrument that has eluded just about everyone else. Of his generation, only John Scofield has come close to acheiving this level of improvisational sophistication - but even with Sco, there is a humanity missing somehow; his work is intriquing and oh so interesting, but Metheny always retains the human touch and warm round sound that puts him in that higher echelon with Wes and the others.

My contention that he has surpassed them with this release is based on the fact that the actual improvised melodies that Metheny comes up with with this record remain indelibly crammed into my cranium. To take a tune with a tempo as fast as the first tune, Go Get It, and play song like phrases is the kind of stuff only acheived by greats like Clifford Brown or Sonny Rollins, almost never by a guitarist. (but Joe Pass could come close) Also, the compositions are almost guaranteed to become standards, they are that good - it is easy to imagine that What Do You Want, Soul Cowboy and The Sun In Montreal will become staples of the next generation of musicians.

Also, the rhythm section of Grenadier and Stewart is perfectly matched to Metheny, and though they may not be the big names of today, they will be the Haynes/Higgins/Holland/Hadens of the next years, no doubt.

This is Metheny's best non-group project ever. Better than Song X (a classic), the duet records with Hall and Haden (classics) or his many recent sideman projects. I am even recommending to people who ask me for suggestions that this be their FIRST PM record - something i used to suggest Bright Size Life for.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars blues for pat, February 9, 2000

By A Customer

I have always preferred "chamber Pat," as opposed to his Metheny Group recordings, so I was very anxious to hear this new album. Like "Q&A," and "Rejoicing" before it, this album is very impressive. A real showcase for Metheny's guitar playing, which seems more extrovert in comparison with the last few Metheny Group albums. His supporting rhythm section are terrific, even though the drummer has a tendency to play with the time alot, like the young Tony Williams. But his high level of musical communication with Metheny is undeniable. The acoustic ballads contrast well with the more straight-ahead tunes; listen to these guys play over a 12-bar blues! Pat Metheny shows by the contents of this album that he is a complete master of his instrument, and I hope this trio records more albums together in the future. Two thumbs way up.