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Pat Metheny: Metheny Mehldau Quartet

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Nonesuch Records
Released: 2007.03.20
Time:
 73:09
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): Pat Metheny
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.patmetheny.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] A Night Away (Metheny/Mehldau) - 7:59
[2] The Sound of Water (Metheny) - 3:53
[3] Fear and Trembling (Mehldau) - 6:56
[4] Don't Wait (Metheny) - 7:08
[5] Towards the Light (Metheny) - 8:10
[6] Long Before (Metheny) - 6:57
[7] En La Tierra Que No Olvida (Metheny) - 7:43
[8] Santa Cruz Slacker (Mehldau) - 6:09
[9] Secret Beach (Mehldau) - 9:07
[10] Silent Movie (Metheny) - 6:03
[11] Marta's Theme [from "Passagio per il Paradiso"] (Metheny) - 2:31

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Pat Metheny - Guitar on [1,3,6-8,10,11], 42-String Guitar on [2], Acoustic Guitar on [4], Guitar Synth on [5,9], Producer
Brad Mehldau - Piano
Larry Grenadier - Bass
Jeff Ballard - Drums

Robert Hurwitz - Executive Producer
David Oakes - Production Assistant
Eli Cane - Production Coordination
Pete Karam - Audio Engineer, Engineer, Mixing
Hyomin Kang - Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer
Justin Shturtz - Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer
Angie Teo - Assistant Engineer, Audio Engineer
Rob Eaton - Mixing
Ted Jensen - Mastering
Karina Benznicki - Production Supervisor
Carolyn Chrzan - Guitar Technician
Ariid Danielseon - Cover Photo, Photography
Doyle Partners - Design
Robert Edridge Waks - Editorial Coordinator
Michael Wilson - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau created a stir in 2006 with their wonderful duet recording. On that set, two of the album's ten cuts featured Mehldau's rhythm section of bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. Quartet is a mirror image: seven of these 11 cuts are full quartet sides. The musical magic established by that collaboration sets the stage for the pair to dig deeper here. It's true that melodic and harmonic invention is the root of each of the tunes here, though that doesn't mean there isn't room to move. Metheny's Way Up recording offered ample of evidence of how compositional sophistication could accomplish virtually anything. There, the players had written parts, but also had room for improvisation within that framework. The same happens here, though the pieces are shorter. Partial evidence of this is the disc's second selection, "The Sound of Water," which has a nearly pastoral theme. But Metheny uses counterpoint on a 12-string guitar to meet Mehldau's chordal investigation. One need only go one cut further in on "Fear and Trembling," by Mehldau, to see how quickly the two can step outside their bonds while retaining their commitment. The knotty playing with distortion by Metheny moves toward the rhythm section, which establishes the kind of fluidity his sense of time requires. Mehldau's own post-bop modal solo works through the lyric frames in the tune's structure and cuts through them, finding their densities and spaces. Grenadier's elasticity as a bassist allows the time to float and shift - seemingly - without ever losing the harmonic thread even when Metheny moves outside toward the end of the cut.

The duet ballad "Don't Wait," with Metheny on acoustic guitar, comes together with all the warmth and textured lyric sensibility that their debut displayed. These two men are not at all self-conscious here; they seem to hear each other in both solo and chorus with equally gentle ears. The shimmering piano on "Towards the Light" finds Mehldau exploring those gorgeous multi-note phrases he loves so much, with Metheny reacting sparely and creating a virtual shimmering in the cut. Ballard is very impressive here as he shades his beats with cymbals and rim shots, and gives the entire cut something earthy to hang onto. There are two Latin-tinged (barely) tunes, "En la Terra Que No Olvida" (Metheny) and "Santa Cruz Slacker" (Mehldau). The former is knottier and less obvious, but the meter is one Brubeck employed a lot in the early '60s and perhaps it serves as a model here. The latter cut is more languid on the surface, but Ballard's drumming is simply out of this world as he skitters and scampers all over and in front of the band throughout. There is perhaps no surprise at how well these two communicate -- especially with a rhythm section as wonderful as this one is. If there is a feeling that some tunes run together, they don't; this is not a suite, but a solid amalgam of brilliant musicianship, with a humble approach that is elegant and dignified. These guys have come up with a gorgeous and sexy creation, and listeners should be delighted to spend some time with it.

Thom Jurek - All Music Guide



New Age-leaning guitarist Pat Metheny and melancholic pianist Brad Mehldau have such distinctive, even rarified, sensibilities (each an acquired taste for some listeners), that their teaming may have looked like a one-time commercial ploy in the beginning. But having found rewarding common ground and a receptive audience through their shared love of pop, Brazilian music and Americana, they likely will work together again. Recorded at the same time as their first album, a duo effort, Quartet takes a satisfying step forward in featuring the Mehldau trio's first-rate bass and drum team, Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard, on most of the tracks. Ranging from rhapsodic reflections to full-tilt fusion fare to loping, Wes Montgomery-inspired tunes--and let's not overlook that Asian-tinged song featuring Metheny on 42-string guitar--the music is sometimes a bit soft at the core. But when the stars are aligned, as on the effortlessly flowing, co-written opener, "A Night Away," and Metheny's charming "En La Tierra Que No Olvida," their partnership glows. It will be interesting to hear where they go from here.

Lloyd Sachs



Quartet expands upon the "dream pairing" - begun by guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau on their 2006 Nonesuch collaboration, Metheny/Mehldau. This time they incorporate the members of Mehldau's trio, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, into a breathtakingly eclectic set, which ranges from the airy, pastoral "Don't Wait" to straight-up rocking in the slowly building "Towards the Light." Last year, London's Evening Standard described Metheny and Mehldau as "graceful, lyrical improvisers...It's a duo performance that deserves to tour." Now the pair is indeed hitting the road, along with Mehldau's two band-mates, in March for a month of shows throughout North America in support of Quartet. The 11 tracks that comprise Quartet were cut during the week-length December 2005 session at Manhattan's Right Track that yielded Metheny /Mehldau, a recording date that, over time, will surely be considered a landmark in contemporary jazz. On Quartet, each artist contributes original solo compositions as well as their first co-written piece, "A Night Away." The group also reworks Mehldau's "Fear and Trembling," which originally appeared on House On Hill, Mehldau's final outing with his previous trio lineup. It also interprets Metheny's "Marta's Theme," from his score to the 1998 Italian film, A Passage to Paradise. Quartet is perhaps even more adventurous and just as rewarding as their first release; the exhilarating back and forth between Metheny and Mehldau continues with their eagerly awaited live dates.
 

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