FROM THIS PLACE

Of course Pat is going to choose from (and have his pick of) the very best jazz musicians in America if not the world, so musicianship is never going to be an issue on any Pat Metheny release. My question is whether his creative well can continue to produce fresh sounding compositions. This presentiment is prompted by three of his more "recent" releases that I am familiar with: The Way Up from 2005, Orchestrion from 2010, and What's It All About from 2011. While this latter is, obviously, exclusively made up of covers of jazzy pop songs from "our" formative years (1965-1972), the former two are the two releases Pat has done in the 21st Century that stray closest to proggy jazz fusion. The Way Up was a mélange and integration (or kind of "best of" all) of Pat & Lyle's most proggy stuff since 1981's As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. His other releases from this century have all been more straightforward jazz--or, at least, jazz lite--not prog.

1. "America Undefined" (13:22) From its opening minutes this song cries out, "jazz," but then, in the middle, there are some nods to the proggy jazz fusion that he and Lyle Mays made so popular in the 1980s and 1990s. (I love the Radiohead chord progression used by the piano in the quieter mid-section, minutes nine through eleven--and then the crescendo and dénouement at 11:30.) First half jazz; incredible proggy finish. One of the two best songs on the album. (28/30)

2. "Wide and Far" (8:27) piano, double bass, jazz drumming, and one of Pat's signature electric jazz guitar sounds (modified from that of one of his heroes, Wes Montgomery). 1970s-like background orchestration give this a kind of timeless pop-jazz feel. Still, the style of the guitar play is quite reminiscent of Mr. Montgomery--even the melody choices harkening back to the 1960s. A perfect composition with flawless performances but, is it prog? Is it even jazz fusion? Methinks it's almost straightforward jazz--or at least Pat Metheny jazz. And there's nothing here that's even remotely experimental or innovative. (17/20)

3. "You Are" (6:13) a very simple and sparsely populated Math Rock kind of construct that slowly builds (especially from drummer Antonio Sanchez and Joel McNeely's orchestration). Again, there are very strong hints of Radiohead influence here. Another perfect composition with flawless performances that definitely satisfies the proghead in me. The other great, experimental song on the album. (9.25/10)

4. "Same River" (6:43) Pat playing his sitar-like sounding guitar effect, light jazz support but highly present and influential are the orchestral inputs--they are not background support but main contributors. Nice simple piano solo in the third minute ending just as Pat switches to his signature "synth horn" axe sound for a somewhat routine and disappointing (uninspired?) solo in the fourth minute. Burt Bacharach-like time signature shift with significant orchestral inputs follow before the music returns to more subdued, delicate realms in the sixth minute. This plays out gently, delicately, so beautifully to the end. So 1970s-ish! (8.75/10)

5. "Pathmaker" (8:20) one of Pat's signature intricately threaded multi-time signature songs. To me, this is just straight jazz, nothing even remotely resembling prog or jazz fusion--and it's very standard (though extremely proficient) Pat Metheny fare. (15.5/20)

6. "The Past in Us" (6:24) somber, introspective piano and strings open this one. Pat on nylon string guitar enters after 90 seconds and brushed drums, punctuating double bass, and harmonica join in, with the harmonica taking the lead for the third minute. Pat joins in counterpointing Gregoire Maret's Toots Thielemans-like harmonica play. (We've heard this before on Pat's 1992 Grammy Award-winning masterpiece, A Secret Story--with Toots Thielemans performing the mouth harp duties! Pat is obviously feeling quite nostalgiac.) (8/10)

7. "Everything Explained" (6:52) fulfilling another Pat Metheny album prerequisite: latin-flavored Pat song. Using his Wes Montgomery sound and style. His playing is still great but not as crisp or inspired as his prime. The support team is very solid. All jazz here, no prog. (12/15)

8. "From This Place" (4:40) set up for vocalist Michelle Ngechello to perform her whispy angelic magic (in multiple tracks!), the song is clearly based on variations on the meldoies and themes of one of our American anthems: "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Interesting but nothing worthy of radio play or repeat listenings. (8/10)

9. "Sixty-Six (9:39) How many different permutations and combinations are there on the old Pat Metheny masterpieces? (Isn't that what jazz is all about: continually playing "new" variations on the past masters?) Most interesting for the drumming and luscious arrangements of the beautiful chord progressions, not for the guitar "leads." As a matter of fact, I'd go so far as to say that for the first time as a Pat Metheny fan, I'm bored by the guitar soloing and far more distracted by the fascinating compositional arrangements and performances of everyone else. My other top three song. (17.75/20)

10. "Love May Take a While (bonus track) (5:57) Another step back into the patterns and orientation of the Secret Story album as the finale there were also gorgeously rich orchestrations within which Pat played his solo guitar. Still gorgeous but nothing new here (other than a different decade and a different orchestra). (8.5/10)

Total Time 76:37

Having been a Pat Metheny fan for over 45 years, having collected almost everything he's contributed to, and having seen him in concert several times in the 1980s and 1990s, I feel that I know Pat's styles, and patterns very well. There is nothing new or superlatively innovative hear. It is a fairly typical Pat Metheny album with exceptional sound and performances on compositions of a grand master. An album of Pat's usual elegant music that does happen to contain one and a half proggy, somewhat experimental songs. half the time, with the lush orchestrations, I felt as if I were listening while comparing it to my favorite jazz fusion album of the 1970s, Freddie Hubbard's Love Connection (also lushly orchestrated).

B/four stars; a Pat Metheny Jazz album that displays the master's perfection of his compositional craft as well as his unmistakable ability to surround himself with virtuosi, but, in the end, is just another Pat Metheny jazz album that has been constructed in typical Pat Metheny fashion.