metheny | mehldau

[etherbored]

i'm curious about this one. brad's last few have left me very cold. i feared it could have gone the way of the all-too-self-important wayne shorter/herbie hancock "1+1", but in fact it may be closer, at least in spirit, to "beyond the missouri sky". at any rate, pat seems to be leading the party (and rightly so, imho).

listen to the clips here and tell me what you think...

-e-

[Bluerein]

Since Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard are also present it's unlikely it like 1+1 or the Missouri Sky. Looking forward to this release.

[Tom Storer]

Since Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard are also present

I read somewhere that they're only on two tracks. Most of the record is piano/guitar duets.

[CJ Shearn]

the clips sound excellent. Got my preorder in! I really gotta check out "House on Hill" also, I heard it in Barnes and Noble and it was cookin.

[jazzypaul]

the clips sound excellent. Got my preorder in! I really gotta check out "House on Hill" also, I heard it in Barnes and Noble and it was cookin.

That disc is the most "alive" that I ever heard the Melhdau/Grenadier/Rossy version of the trio. It crackles with energy in ways that the Art of the Trio discs absolutely do not.

This isn't to say I don't enjoy the other discs with that lineup, but Day is Done really flipped a switch in my book as far as Mehldau is concerned. I hope Ballard continues to play with them, as he really brings something special to that group.

[chris olivarez]

Mehldau and Metheny will be in Durango,Colorado in March. I hope to see them.

[Parkertown]

Mehldau and Metheny will be in Durango,Colorado in March. I hope to see them.

Any other Colorado dates you know of Chris? Denver metro area hopefully...?

[Chuck Nessa]

Hope they weren't paid by the note.

[CJ Shearn]

paid by the note? Chuck!

[Bill Nelson]

Overall, the clips portend a precious, delicate state of affairs. It sure isn't the organic mind meld of Metheny and Mays. I might wait for a cheap promo.

[md655321]

So far I am bit underwhlemed by this (i have the full disc.) I love Mehldau, but Metheny rubs me the wrong way occasionally. The quartet stuff is really great, with alot of energy. The duo stuff however gets a little bogged down. Plus, Metheny doesnt have alot to do during the Mehldau solos, because Mehldau has always been a bit note happy. Metheny does an ok job backing him up, but sometime he seems to be just trying to get out of the way.

Maybe a few more listenings will help though. If this were all quartet, I wouldnt hesitate to reccomend it.

[RDK]

Eagerly looking forward to this as I love both Metheny and Meldau. Not sure what to expect, though, as Metheny's duo albums can be hit or miss. I absolutely love "Missouri Sky" with Haden, but Pat's album with Jim Hall is a bore.

[CJ Shearn]

This collaboration definitely works. As for a quieter Metheny release I enjoy it a lot more than "One Quiet Night" which was beautiful I just got a little bored at times. I think Brad adds a darker edge to his playing and compositions here that blend with Pat nicely. I dig the crescendo of "Legend" and like the almost poppish melody of "Annie's Bittersweet Cake". The quartet tracks are outstanding, "Ring of Life" is the money tune, I like that drum and bass/funky groove from Ballard and Pat and Brad just kill the sucker, I wish Steve Rodby was the bassist on this cut though, its special the sort of rock solid thing to Metheny tunes of this type. It may be possible that the second album will be a live album from the Metheny/Mehldau quartet performances beginning next year. Ok, calling Joe Gloss

[chris olivarez]

Mehldau and Metheny will be in Durango,Colorado in March. I hope to see them.

Any other Colorado dates you know of Chris? Denver metro area hopefully...?

I just checked the Metheny website. It doesn't list any Colorado dates. I found the info on a Durango website. It seems possible that he will go through Colorado as he will be in the western US at that time. I'll keep an eye on it and if anything turns up I'll let you know. God I hope it doesn't snow hard that week.

[ep1str0phy]

Hope they weren't paid by the note.

[CJ Shearn]

let me post some more thoughts actually, just wrote this today to a teacher I had in HS who got me onto Pat years ago. He's a good guitarist himself. I wrote:

Metheny Mehldau is a great record. Its so nice to hear a Pat record with pure melodies again, as much as I love "The Way Up" its cool to have something a bit more simplistic. I do some of my best listening at like 1 or 2 in the morning when I make connections I otherwise don't, and that zone I mentioned, Brad's zone harmonically is not that different than Pat's, they both get off on the same sorta thing like the next to last tune on the record "Annie's Bittersweet Cake". Written by Mehldau, that could easily have been on an early Group record like "American Garage", its not far from Pat's zone at all, he really gets off on the changes in his solo. Then I think its bars 10-11 of the "A" of Pat's "Bachelors III" which I think is an ABA tune, he cops a line straight out of "Three Views of a Secret" which is sooooooooooo hip.

Edited September 15, 2006 by CJ Shearn

[Aggie87]

Just picked this up today, and haven't spun it yet.

But I did notice that according to the booklet (after some more fun Mehldau notes), that this was recorded in Dec 2006

Them Blue Note Quality Control folks must have been subcontracted on this release...

[7/4]

Just picked this up today, and haven't spun it yet.

But I did notice that according to the booklet (after some more fun Mehldau notes), that this was recorded in Dec 2006

Them Blue Note Quality Control folks must have been subcontracted on this release...

Back to the Future...

I just picked this up this afternoon and it's already on my list of favorite Metheny albums. Just two more tracks to go.

[Aggie87]

bump.....

Per Musictap:

Two other Nonesuch releases will be 2 jazz CDs from Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. The titles are Quartet, and The Complete Sessions. Both discs will be released on March 20.

Looking forward to the quartet release. I assume The Complete Sessions is simply a packaging of the previous Metheny|Mehldau release, and the quartet one.

[sal]

Who else is in the quartet?

[Aggie87]

Who else is in the quartet?

The Quartet tracks on the last disc were with Larry Grenadier & Jeff Ballard. I believe the new release was recorded at the same time as the last one.

[Joe G]

Who else is in the quartet?

The Quartet tracks on the last disc were with Larry Grenadier & Jeff Ballard. I believe the new release was recorded at the same time as the last one.

That's correct. Looking forward to seeing this band in April.

[sal]

I'm glad that Ballard is in the drummers chair. I like his playing with Meldau much more than Jorge Rossy.

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm glad that Ballard is in the drummers chair. I like his playing with Meldau much more than Jorge Rossy.

Me too. I don't dislike Rossy, but Ballard really kicks things up a notch or two (in terms of energy) -- which I think Mehldau's music needs sometimes.

[Jazz Kat]

I didn't like it. They should of did more tracks with the trio.