Pat Metheny - One Quiet Night (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Magical Metheny At His Very Best

Steven L. Hirsch | Washingtonville, NY USA | 06/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was so touched upon hearing this CD that I wept for joy, honestly. Not since Metheny's first stunning solo album "New Chatauqua" have I been so moved by a set of guitar music. The title track One Quiet Night is one of the most brilliant Metheny tracks I have ever heard. Also among my favorites are Another Chance and Over on 4th St.. This music reminds me of driving through the Colorado plains when I was 19, the spaciousness, emotion and soaring heights of my future all laid out in front of me. Don't miss this CD. It is a modern classic on a new stringed instrument (Baritone guitar) that will hopefully be heard more and more in Metheny's music. Pat is pure genius and his recording engineer should win an award for the crystal clear and shimmering sound of this album."

Brilliant! - Pure Pat Metheny

Stephen Britton | A quiet suburb outside NYC, USA | 05/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I live just outside New York City, and for the past decade, I have managed to see Pat Metheny play on average once every year or two, whether it be with the Pat Metheny Group, Pat Metheny Trio or with drummer Roy Haynes at the Village Vanguard. On more than one occasion, I have always wondered what Pat would sound like if it was just him and an acoustic guitar. Now with this recording my wish has been granted. Pat is awesome! It's just him playing and he has filled the CD with great music. This CD ranks among Pat's best and every song is a masterpiece. If you want to hear what Pat sounds like without drums, bass and piano, you have to get this one."

Always A Delight

05/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pat Metheny has challenged the musical boundaries of his audience for over 25 years and his latest recording is no exception. One Quiet Night features Metheny performing alone, on a custom-made baritone guitar with a non-traditional folk tuning that accentuates the instrument's rich sound and warm resonant bass register. Recorded by Metheny in his New York City home, half of the material on the CD was captured on a single night in November 2001. In January 2003, he recorded the other half including two new original compositions, a reinterpretation of the popular Pat Metheny Group song "Last Train Home", and an eclectic group of covers: "Don't Know Why" from the 2002 Grammy award winning album by Norah Jones; "My Song" from jazz pianist Keith Jarrett; and the 1960s pop hit "Ferry Cross The Mersey" from the 'British invasion' band, Gerry and The Pacemakers.Evocative at times of recordings made by the late Michael Hedges, Metheny has constructed a contemplative and deeply emotional set quite unlike anything he has released before. The fact that the November 2001 session was not originally intended for public consumption and was entirely improvisational in nature is a testament not only to Metheny's skill as a guitarist but also his innate sense of melody and harmonic structure.Pat Metheny moves easily among varied musical settings: traditional jazz trios, post-bop experimental jazz, jazz-rock fusion, and polyrhythmic World Music, to name a few. One Quiet Night is a new color on the palette, a different texture to the canvas for Metheny but emminently satisfying. In the liner notes, Metheny hopes this album will offer his listeners "some peace and enjoyment". It should do both."

Pat Metheny In An Intimate Setting.

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 05/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The latest disc by Pat Metheny "One Quiet Night" surely lives up to its title. It is excellent quiet acoustic music which is ideal for playing at night after a long day at the office.
Pat recorded this album in one sitting at his home studio with just one acoustic baritone guitar. The music was recorded completely live without any overdubs. The overall feel of this CD is very relaxed and peaceful. Because Pat is playing a baritone guitar tuned down from the standard guitar tuning, it often sounds as if he is playing a guitar and a bass simultaneously. In a way, he actually is especially when the low guitar strings are played.
His rearrangements of his older original material are superb especially "Last Train Home". The original version from 1987's "Still Life (Talking)" was centered around a chugging brushed drum rhythm. This new solo version has an almost down-home country feel to it and is only recognizable when the melody comes in.
In addition to the original material and its reworkings, Pat also throws in three cover tunes. The best of these is his great version of Gerry and the Pacemakers "Ferry Cross The Mersey". Pat's arrangement is reminiscent of the artists that performed on the Windham Hill label back in the day.
All in all, Pat's latest album is truely excellent. It is very calming and soothing. It's perfect music for sitting in front the fireplace or having a nice intimate dinner with someone you love. It's also great for falling asleep to and for getting your mind off of life's every day troubles."

Quiet Virtuosity

Brian Whistler | Forestville, CA United States | 08/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in 1978, I was driving on the 101 S towards San Francisco. Passing through Sausalito on a crisp fall day with my young wife next to me, I heard Metheny's "San Lorenzo" for the first time. It was the first time I had heard Pat and I have been a fan ever since.I have been following his career closely ever since that perfect moment on the highway and have rarely been disappointed by his recorded output. I realize how difficult it is for any artist to keep coming up with fresh ideas and new approaches. Jazz piano great, Richie Beirach once said that most writers only have one, possibly two songs in them that they're constantly rewriting. While it's easy to hear Pat's licks and tendencies to gravitate towards certain feels and chord progressions, rather than a liability, these musical trademarks are part of what makes him have such a distinctive voice.Pat's trademark voicings and harmonies are in full bloom here in this intimate and moody solo outing. The playing is spare and spacious, making the CD seem a perfect background to a quiet sunday afternoon . But if one takes a closer look, a concentrated listen reveals a profound musical discipline at work. There is very little extraneous playing. It is as though Metheny made a goal of getting to the kernal of each tune, leaving the musical chaff on the floor. In a way, this reminded me of Jarrett's "The Melody at Night, with You",the difference being, that Keith relied on standards and old chestnuts wheras Metheny uses predominantly original compositions as a starting point for his austere meditations. Metheny does sprinkle in an occasional cover. There is a great rendition of a Nora Jones song "I don't Know Why" and an old Gerry and the Pacemaker's tune that I grew up loving, "Ferry Cross the Mersey' . Speaking of Jarrett , there is beautiful reading of "My Song", one of my personal favorites of Jarrett's compositions. The criteria I ultimately use to judge whether or not a given CD is worthy of repeated play is whether or not the album speaks to me emotionally. This is especially true of jazz recordings. An intellectual outing may captivate me at first with its virtuosity or compositional cleverness. But to stand the test of time it should first and foremost speak to me at the level of the heart. The best performances balance the two. This record speaks to me emotionally. It is an honest, heartfelt recording by an artist at the peak of his powers. While it may appear that he stays in musical low gear for most of this recording, there is much here for those who take the time to give it the attention it deserves. One more thing: it also makes great background music."

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