Pat Metheny Music

(N.B- review refers to expanded edition) What a pleasant surprise to discover that Nonesuch have reissued the fantastic Reich Remixed with additional mixes by the likes of Four Tet, who perhaps unsurprisingly chooses to rework Reich's `Drumming' (previously given an electronic twist by the venerable acid-house pioneers Mantronix). No one can doubt the impact Reich has had on both popular as well as classical music, and for me he is unrivalled in the world of minimalism, despite my respect for the work of Philip Glass, especially his seminal `Glassworks' (1982) and his collaborations with Ravi Shankar (`Passages', 1990) and Uakti (`Aguas da Amazonia', 1999). Receiving the 10 CD Steve Reich set `Works' was one of the greatest musical presents I ever got, and once I learnt of the Remix project, I just knew that would prove essential listening, especially with the likes of Coldcut, Howie B, Andrea Parker, Tranquility Bass, Ken Ishii and Freq Nasty making contributions. After all, I had first heard Steve Reich sampled on The Orb's 1989 classic `Little Fluffy Clouds' without even knowing it. Years later I learnt that I was actually listening to the cyclic guitar of Pat Metheny from Reich's `Electric Counterpoint' (1987)- testament to Alex Patterson's good taste and pioneering approach to ambient psychedelic dance music. Finally hearing the original transported me to an equally potent musical headspace and Reich quickly became one of my all time favourite composers.

I'm really not sure then how much more I need to say to persuade you just how essential this album is. If you don't know who Steve Reich is then I can only wonder what cultural crevice you have been hiding in- he's a living legend, widely acknowledged to have had a revolutionary impact on twentieth century music. So what of the remixes then? Well, Coldcut are responsible for an incredible six-minute contraction of Reich's renowned `Music for 18 Musicians', and in case you don't know, they are noteworthy for innovating VJing (the political potency of `Timber', with the sync-ed images of trees being sliced by chainsaws remains the zenith of achievements in this field), developing new DJing technologies, setting up their own Ninja Tune dance music label, as well as being responsible for some enduring tunes of their own. Other contributors attempt his early, ultra minimal works like `Piano Phase' (D Note), and `Come Out' (Ken Ishii), whilst others attempt his more orchestrated pieces such as `The Four Sections' (Andrea Parker) and `Eight Lines' (Howie B). All in all then, a fair selection of compositions from Reich's long and varied career are represented. I just think that rather than issuing an expanded version, Nonesuch should have commissioned a second volume- I would love to hear somebody like Amon Tobin rework `Different Trains' for example.

I enjoyed every one of these pieces on their own. I am familiar with most of the electronic artists and each one of these songs is beautiful. I had never heard Steve Reich's music before this. I enjoyed his music but, I didn't think that the remixes were completely true to his form. Reich's music has some good ideas that the remixer's somewhat expanded upon. I think the idea was to take some of Reich's ideas and put it in to a more modern style. If they wanted someone to rehash his ideas, then it would have been boring. I enjoy these artists, but there are artists out there that are using some of his ideas already, namely Plastikman and Tortoise. Overall the songs are great in any sense.

Of all modern classical composers, Steve Reich is the one whose music is most likely to attract the rock-oriented ear. 'Music for 18 Musicians' was a ground-breaking album which closed out the 1970s, and it took much of the audience that had been nurtured on Tangerine Dream's 'Ricochet' and, before that, Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells'. It was only to be expected that other artists would start sampling Reich's works.

I can't get enough of 'Music for 18 Musicians' -- I bought it on LP in 1979, and two versions on CD. It is my No. 1 self-hypnosis album. So I was intrigued to discover how it would be re-worked for this album. I was disappointed, frankly. The Coldcut Remix provides no evidence that the DJ has listened beyond the first five minutes of the original.

But there's no heresy in modifying Reich's music. I welcome every effort to do so. I knew about half of the pieces selected here, so, for me, it's partly a Reich sampler. The great thing about the album is that not only did it get me buying more of Reich's output, but it also got me listening more to the originals.

For me, the stand-out track here is 'Piano Phase', which applies prog-rock values to a piece I didn't know at all well. It could so easily be Rick Wakeman or Keith Emerson playing the synth lines over the piano loop!

The opening track has grown on me over the years. At first listen, the Megamix seemed to have too many different samples crowded in; it seemed too ambitious in searching for common musical themes between no fewer than nine of Reich's albums. But now it flows nicely.

The closing track, supposedly based on the Desert Music, is a straightforward techno track, almost Prodigy-like, whose relationship to Reich's music seems entirely tangential.

I believe every Reich fan should hear this album, even though a few will find perhaps nothing to like. And I'd recommend anyone who buys this album without knowing Reich to listen also to 'Different Trains', 'Electric Counterpoint', and of course, 'Music for 18 Musicians'.

Until Nonesuch releases in the US the greatest hits CD compiled in Japan, we will have to rely on this as the only single-CD tour through Reich's works, however oblique and re-shaped these may be.

The entrancing hobby of looping gave birth to essencially all forms of techno in existence today, and all followers should be thankful Steve Reich's cassette tapes messed up one day to create a looping effect. He soon became obsessed with overlapping sounds and varying tempos, a basic foundation for modern day electronic music. Such is the reason why a wide variety of artists came together to create a tribute album to this obscure classical composer, and the end result is a diamond in the rough.

If "Reich Remixed" has any style permeating through the whole album, it is the esoteric sounds of trance. Each track brings in a sentimental mourning, but also sings out hosannas of joy, hailing the appreciation of the father of techno. Tranquility Bass's "Megamix", succeeding fully in painting a mural of Reich's repertoire, Coldcut's loving recreation of "Music for 18 Musicians", and Howie B's "Eight Lines" tribute will draw you in with their joyful melodies. Yet darkness lies ahead as well. Andrea Parker brings in a creepy Trip-Hop version of "The Four Sections", perfect for committing a bank robbery if you get off on that. The bonus track from freQ Nasty & B.L.I.M. has the rough sound of Drum n' Bass without corrupting the original message, although it sounds a bit out of place on this album. The masterpiece is Nobukazu Takemura's "Proverb", which stacks the voices in one loop, which will make one double check the CD for scratches. It not only holds true to what Reich was attempting, but re-interprets.

To those who were already die-hard Reich fans, a word of caution. This CD will sound repititive, perhaps even like cheap rip-offs of the original tracks, as they cannot possibly recreate the massive pieces Reich composed in six or seven minutes of CD time. As well, there are slip-ups. "City Life" is butchered to pieces and essentially impossible to enjoy, and "Come Out" only highlights the limitations of techno's possibilities to create as compared to pen, paper, and a symphony orchestra.

The album explores techno's creative possibilities to new levels, and is an aural treat. Consider it Reich's first DJing experience, changing the world of music in the same way his originals shook the ear drums.

Highs: Techno symphony, with the same variety as an orchestra, skillfully mixed, loving and appropriate recreations of Reich's original masterpieces.
Lows: Reich's originals are better, sometimes butchered here, same repitive downfall of techno at times.
The Score: A-, Reich not Lost in Techno Translation.

There are a few really good tracks on this CD. My personal favorites are Music for 18 Musicians, Four Sections, the Megamix, and Piano Phase. The Desert Music remix (the bonus track) is okay, not great, but okay. And then there's the bottom end of the spectrum, which is everything else. Unfortunately, what I like is overpowered by what I dislike.

The heading for this review regards your time, your money and Metheny's approach -- only five years into his solo recording career he got right down to business of fulfilling his dream to both pay tribute to and play with Ornette Coleman. The former is done both on this cd and on (the 1984 recording) Rejoicing, the latter on (the 1986 recording) Song X. But, possibly, the most moving music of the three is achieved here. Here he has compiled former Ornette band mates Dewey Redman (tnr sx) and Charlie Haden (bs) with sympathetic musicians Jack DeJohnette (drms) and Michael Brecker(tnr sx, too). The results are impressive. From the Coleman authored "Turnaround" and the "open" jazz of "Open," to the tightly arranged and simply stunning "Every Day" (my friend calls it an "orgasmic" song as the tension builds and builds to its release) and the solo acoustic of "Goin' Ahead" which is better than anything on New Chautauqua (I'm not knocking that cd, but this song is superior in all respects to the music thereon). Pat Meth did not squander this opportunity and, by clicking "buy it," you won't squander yours either.

I remember buying this album after playing a gig, and going to Tower Records to pick out a CD with my earnings. The Pat Metheny Group Album "The Way Up" had just been released and my friends were raving about it. So I went into the record store with the hopes of getting a Pat Metheny record. The only problem was, first I had no idea what he sounded like, and secondly, there were no sax players on his new release, which is not a bad thing, but I was in the mood for some powerful sax playing. So I got this album 80/81 because it had two unique sax players. From there...

I played the first disc and was immediately captivated by the simple yet honest chord stumming of Pat Metheny on the acoustic guitar. It immediately evoked images of corn fields, the midwest, driving down Highway 5 in California, etc. And then Mike Brecker entered with his gorgeous tone to state the melody. I had not even left the parking lot and I was ecstatic. Then comes Mike Brecker's solo...I know many listeners dislike Mike Brecker because of his perfect technique, and his tendency to repeat these phrases. But hey, most musicians do that. It depends on what you listen to by the artist. Many also accuse Mike Brecker of lacking emotion in his technical solos. But his solos on this record should lay all of those claims to rest. This album was recorded early on in his career, and his solo on "Two Folk Songs" ranks among one of my favorite instrumental solos of all time, and it certainly is one of his most creative. He does not opt for lightning fast runs, but instead develops his ten minute solo around the overtones of the tenor sax, soring in the altissimo range. It is almost like a bird flying over the country, swooping down close to the ground when Mike Brecker leaves the overtone range to catch his breath in the lower register, then skyrocketing back up well above the ground. From a technical standpoint, his solo is outrageous, but from the standpoint of emotional conviction - that is where Mike Brecker's solo really shines. His devopment, his emphasis on rhythm, his choice to bypass any sort of "normal" solo in the normal saxophone register, and his tone all contribute to this extremely powerful solo. It is on the wild side if you are new to jazz, but there is a strong sense of rhythm and simplicity, something most contemporary jazz musicians I have found lack. Instead of playing every chord under the sun to "support Mike Brecker and lead him on", Pat Metheny just strums the same three chord pattern with the same rhythm as does Charlie Haden and they just let Mike Brecker fly free - of course with Jack Dejohnette lending constant rhythmic support. A drum solo follows the tenor sax solo, then a bass solo that feeds into a slower tempo than the opening tempo of this lengthy track. Pat Metheny takes over and plays a simple yet poweful solo that shows that he is very well capable of expressing himself just as well as Mike Brecker. No lame jazz licks, just pure creativity. The song just fades out leaving the lasting impression of the environment, landscape, and culture that inspired the composition. A true masterpiece. Following this tour de force are a few staight ahead boppish tracks that are fine, but to me, they are no where near as powerful as the opening twenty minute magnum opus. That is not a bad thing, they just get less playing time because of the opening track. Dewey Redman takes over the sax chair for these tunes. On the second disc, Mike Brecker and Dewey Redman share some solos together - the compositions are upbeat and have a content feeling, something far different than "Two Folk Songs", which has an upbeat, yet mournfull and sad feeling. But the composition "Everyday I Thank You" is another tour de force. This again features Mike Brecker in a truly masterful solo, equal to the opener of the entire album. The tune is gorgeous. It is in essence a rock ballad that goes into a steady beat and time feel after a rubato introduction. The quality of Mike Brecker's solo is matched again by the perfect support of the rhythm section. Pat Metheny comps in a rythmic yet un-encroching way. The album closes with a peaceful Pat Metheny solo guitar composition. A perfect close to a masterful album. Mike Brecker shines, but nevertheless, Pat Metheny plays equally as brilliant as do the rest of the musicians. This album is perfect in my eyes and worth the money for just the three tunes I mentioned, the twenty minute "Two Folk Songs", the thirteen minute "Everyday I Thank You", and the three minute solo guitar tune "Goin' Ahead". A perfect album to listen to when driving for long distances, and a great album that evokes powerful thoughts. Give it a try. I did and I love it.

This is Pat in a truly jazz setting. There are no overdubs, no thick productions (ala later Pat Metheny Group recordings), and no hooks--and no keyboards. (Lyle Mays, not a jazz improvisor, could not have survived this date.) Two of the players--Dewey Redman and Charlie Haden--were bandmates with Ornette Coleman. They know how to get "outside" while remaining in sync with the group. Pat's playing (circa 1981 is satisfying), but not as rich and energized as it can be today (such as on "Pat Metheny Trio, 99-100"). Of course, a less mature Pat is better than 90% of the "mature" jazz guitarists out there. Jack D.'s drumming is always creative and apt.

Pat Metheny, by his own admission, frequently has difficulty dreaming up titles for his tunes. He picked the right label when he signed for the numerologically obsessed ECM records. (This was, after all, the label that specially reserved catalogue number 500 for Jan Garabarek's 'Twelve Moons'.) '80/81' was simply a fortuitous coincidence of catalogue number and recording year.

'80/81' came after the 'New Chautauqua' and 'American Garage' albums, but before 'As Falls Wichita' and 'Offramp'. '80/81' was the first Metheny LP I bought which I wasn't entirely sure of. To a certain extent, it seemed an experiment. Apart from the unlistenable 'Song X', Pat hasn't featured saxophone in any of his subsequent recordings.

Pat's half of 'Two Folk Songs' is fairly bland strumming, but when Haden's composition kicks in, the track gets much more interesting. It has almost the rhythm of a cowboy western.

Another, more electronic version of 'The Bat' (track #3, disc 1 here) turns up on 'The Falcon and the Snowman' soundtrack. It's great to hear an all-acoustic rendition of this mournful piece. 'Open' sounds like one of those warm-up jazz improvisations that turned out well, but you need to be in the right mood to want to play it.

Whatever its faults elsewhere, the LP entirely redeemed itself on side 4, or on tracks 3 and 4 of CD #2. 'Every Day (I Thank You)' is a staggeringly beautiful and intricately composed piece. Whether or not it has any religious intent, here at least Pat came up with a fitting title.

And 'Goin' Ahead' is a gorgeous piece of multi-tracked solo acoustic guitar. Of all the music in my collection, this is the composition I would most like to be able to play on an instrument myself. Sadly, as Pat's 'Songbook' confirms, it's pretty complicated.

This double CD set could almost have been whittled down to a single; there are great songs here, but the presence of mediocre ones detracts from the overall quality immensly.

"Two Folk Songs" is a great track, two songs tied together by a common theme. The saxwork in the first half is stellar, while the sensitive guitar playing in the second counterposes the almost frantic pace of the first half nicely. "80/81" and "Turnaround" would make great Jazz standards; the flowing quality of these great works is rudely interrupted by the watery,predictable smooth jazz of "The Bat." "Open" and "Pretty Scattered are two more great Jazz tracks; "Every Day" is a tolerable jazz-folk hybrid. The set ends on a calm high note, the folksy "Goin Ahead." All in all, this is an excellent release that could have easily stood to loose about twenty minutes of mediocre material.