Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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146 of 164 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pat Metheny Points The Way Up!!, January 26, 2005
Most artists who have more than 30 years of success behind them usually talk about that one unfinished masterpiece, the one that's swimming around in the brain just waiting to come out at just the right time. In the case of Pat Metheny, his latest effort "The Way Up" could very well be such a piece.
Consisting of a single 68-minute piece broken into four sections, "The Way Up" finds the Pat Metheny Group diving head first into unknown yet familiar musical territory. Musically, the piece is not too different from that heard on previous efforts such as "Speaking of Now", "Imaginary Day", "Letter From Home" or even "First Circle". However, there are some brilliant new elements heard in the music as well. Metheny's latest drummer Antonio Sanchez plays with more complex syncopations and has a unique style different than his predecessor Paul Wertico. The addition of the young harmonica player Gregoire Maret gives the music more of a folk flavor at times. Maret has an excellent harmonica spot which can be heard in the middle of part two of this piece. Pat's guitar work also seems to be more varied as well alternating between electric, acoustic, slide, 12-string, fuzz and guitar-synth. His playing is acceptional through the piece especially from the middle of part one to the part's conclusion. Trumpeter Cuong Vu shines with brilliance throughout the disc as well displaying a style that echoes Miles Davis with a slight hint of Arturo Sandoval and (dare I say it) Herb Alpert.
Despite this CD being comprised of a single piece of music, there is plenty to digest here. The changes of mood and texture heard throughout the piece make the 68-minute running time almost seem like nothing at all. The strong musicianship between Pat and his bandmates is sensational while the compositional structure is flawless.
Applause must be given to Pat Metheny and keyboardist/collaborator Lyle Mays for taking such a daring step and successfully pulling it off. This is Pat Metheny's definitive magnum-opus, a mountain-top acheivement for this brilliant guitar genius. Bravo.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a brave, risk-taking effort, April 28, 2005
How often can one accurately say this of a musical recording? This record is, indeed, a fearless piece of work. Metheny darned well understands that there are many people who won't easily connect with THE WAY UP. If crafting an individual tune is analogous to writing a piece of fine short fiction, then THE WAY UP might appropriately be compared to writing a major (yes, literary) novel. It's interesting that THE WAY UP is getting the best mainstream newspaper and magazine reviews of Metheny's career. Maybe those folks who don't easily take to the record should ask themselves why it's garnering such intriguing accolades. Don't be shocked when THE WAY UP wins a number of Grammy Awards and makes numerous reviewers' top-ten lists for 2005. And, yes, this record does grow on many people with each listen. I'm one of those folks.
Davis Miller,
author of THE TAO OF MUHAMMAD ALI: A FATHERS AND SONS MEMOIR
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!, January 25, 2005
I pre-ordered The Way Up from Amazon and was amazed to receive it today (January 24,) one day before the scheduled release date. I hope nobody gets in trouble. I have listened all the way through only once so this review is based on my initial impressions. As you may know, The Way Up consists of one track, 68 minutes long and broken up into 4 sections. While for the most part it seems to be on familiar ground melodically and harmonically, it is a complex, layered piece whose compositional form challenges the listener. On this CD, PMG are stretching the bounds of song structure and compositional organization in a Jazz setting. I suspect that the shorter length of the Opening, which clocks at about five minutes, is a small concession to Jazz and Smooth Jazz radio stations, who mostly cater to listeners with shorter attention spans.
Within this expanded compositional setting, Metheny and Lyle Mays have written their most exciting and original music since Metheny's 1992 solo album "Secret Story." At times densely layered, with much greater use of overdubs than on previous albums, the different sections flow into one another like a musical stream of consciousness, at times somewhat reminiscent of the work of fellow Nonesuch artist John Adams. It's probably not coincidental that now that PMG is on the Nonesuch label, they feel the freedom to work in more complex and interesting song structures.
Metheny's and Lyle Mays' playing is varied and compelling, much more so than on the last two or three PMG CD's, which were very enjoyable, but which were so well crafted that to me they lost some spontaneity (I'm sure many would disagree.) The "Speaking Of Now" DVD, was much better, with new arrangements of several PMG "standards" and great musicianship. Joining PMG again on this CD is the wonderfully expressive trumpeter Cuong Vu, whose solos evoke Miles Davis but still have an original voice and new member Gregoire Maret, who is described as a "harmonica virtuoso" on the PMG site. Maret has at least one beautiful solo, but at times it was hard to discern whether I was hearing harmonica or guitar synth or keyboard. I'm sure future listens will make that clear.
This is definitely a CD that will require repeated listening to fully grasp the enormity of their accomplishment. This CD will probably leave behind the Smooth Jazz listener who is not used to longer and more complex compositions, which I suspect is one of the things that PMG intended. For those willing to dive in and give it their full attention, The Way Up is an enormously rewarding experience that ranks up there with the best of Metheny and PMG's other recordings.
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