Speaking of Now

Amazon.com
Throughout its 25-year history, the Pat Metheny Group has consistently had the power to reinvent itself, developing an ever-broader musical vision. Speaking of Now reflects substantial changes since the band was last assembled. The core remains intact, with Lyle Mays, Metheny's composing partner since the beginning, still contributing keyboards and some eloquent acoustic piano. Bassist Steve Rodby is here as well, but there are some new additions. Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez is a creative fountain of rhythm, while Richard Bona, from Cameroon, has joined the band on vocals and percussion. There's an unearthly serenity in Bona's high-pitched vocals and they've clearly shaped some of the composing here. Trumpeter Cuong Vu's presence marks the first time a horn player has been a member of PMG, and his laconic, airy trumpet is a perfect complement to Metheny's guitar. The Group has always had the ability to fuse elements from different cultures into a graceful and floating whole, but this version sets new standards for sheer sonic beauty, like the welling orchestral breadth that underscores Bona's voice on "You." Highlights seem to abound, but the guitar solos on "Proof" and "A Place in the World" testify to Metheny's inspiration. --Stuart Broomer

Speaking of Now,Pat Metheny Group,Warner Bros / Wea,Contemporary Jazz,Crossover Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Smooth Jazz

Average customer rating: A departure that doesn't disappoint Must Have Beautiful, simply beautiful! Underrated, eloquent, embellished restatement Liven it up

Speaking of Now Pat Metheny Group Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Way Up Imaginary Day Watercolors One Quiet Night Letter from Home ASIN: B00005V6IF Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

1. As It Is
2. Proof
3. Another Life
4. The Gathering Sky
5. You
6. On Her Way
7. A Place In The World
8. Afternoon
9. Wherever You Go

Amazon.com

Throughout its 25-year history, the Pat Metheny Group has consistently had the power to reinvent itself, developing an ever-broader musical vision. Speaking of Now reflects substantial changes since the band was last assembled. The core remains intact, with Lyle Mays, Metheny's composing partner since the beginning, still contributing keyboards and some eloquent acoustic piano. Bassist Steve Rodby is here as well, but there are some new additions. Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez is a creative fountain of rhythm, while Richard Bona, from Cameroon, has joined the band on vocals and percussion. There's an unearthly serenity in Bona's high-pitched vocals and they've clearly shaped some of the composing here. Trumpeter Cuong Vu's presence marks the first time a horn player has been a member of PMG, and his laconic, airy trumpet is a perfect complement to Metheny's guitar. The Group has always had the ability to fuse elements from different cultures into a graceful and floating whole, but this version sets new standards for sheer sonic beauty, like the welling orchestral breadth that underscores Bona's voice on "You." Highlights seem to abound, but the guitar solos on "Proof" and "A Place in the World" testify to Metheny's inspiration. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

A departure that doesn't disappoint.......2006-12-04

I'm an unabashed enthusiast when it comes to the PMG. I have 8 of their albums, having discovered the group orginally in the CD section of my public library back in 1990 with "Letter from Home". It really was love at first sight (er, listen that is).

As many PMG followers know, the group's composition has ebbed and flowed during the years while keeping at its core Pat himself, keyboardist Lyle Mays, and bassist Steve Rodby. I'm always a bit nervous when things shuffle with the group. Will they lose that signature sound? With this album, I was particularly concerned about the departure of drummer Paul Wertico whose cymbal work and overall sense of rhythm are truly masterful.

So it was with a bit of trepidation that I placed this one on the CD player after it arrived as a gift. And to be honest, at first I didn't like it all that much...because it is a significant departure from previous PMG albums. In many ways, it returns to a bit more traditional jazz sound. But over time, it has grown on me, and I now count it among my favorite albums. My fears about the departure of Wertico turned out to be unfounded. Antonio Sanchez is a simply amazing drummer and very accomplished musician in his own right, having attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship with studies in piano, voice, arranging, and of course drums.

Also, as a trumpet player myself, I particularly like the addition that Cuong Vu brings...his playing brings something truly elegant to the group...it reminds me of a minimalist painting...every brush stroke counts. Nothing wasted. Everthing meaningful. "A Place in Her World" showcases this nicely.

At the end of the day, it's all good. Metheny takes his music extremely seriously, and he has always hand-picked the best of the best to be a part of the PMG, so I really shouldn't have been worried that he'd ruin the recipe. Pat is also a guy who wants to continually expand, so while many of his albums keep that "signature" Metheny sound, they always seem to evolve and explore new horizons. When you pop in a PMG disc, you always know you'll get that familiar sound, but yet you'll always get something new, never stagnant.

I highly recommend this album to PMG enthusiasts and newbies alike. However, if you are new to Metheny and the PMG, be sure not to overlook his earlier releases, which after nearly 20 years, are, in my mind, still the quintissential PMG albums: Still Life Talking, Letter from Home, and Secret Story. In particular, Still Life Talking is a must-have for anyone who wants the PMG in their collection. It is his best-selling album, and for good reason in my opinion.

Must Have.......2005-12-11

Being Metheny fan since '85 I can recommend this CD for 100 %!

Beautiful, simply beautiful!.......2005-10-01

First I'd like to say that all too many of the reviews of this CD are . . . . well . . . .formulaic because too many of them use the word "forumlaic" to describe it, but each review then goes on to offer divergent criticisms, none of which support the claim of being "forumlaic." I think many have just learned a new word and are eager to use it. I have over 450 CDs from Beethoven to Palestrina to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. I believe that Metheny and Maze rank among the finest composers and musicians ever. If there has ever been a musical group that is the antithesis of forumlaic, it is PMG and this CD is no exception. This CD soars with optimism, joy, and beauty. The melodies are infectious and it seems the more you listen, the better it gets. There are but a handful of other CD's that command as much run-time as this - Coltrane, a Love Supreme, Davis, Kind of Blue, Brubeck, Take 5, Diana Krall, Love Scenes, Horowitz in Moscow, Palestrina, Allegra Miserere, Beethoven, Missa Solemnis, and PMG, THe Way Up. At the end of the century, Metheny will have marked an era as almost single-handedly holding up the music project amidst so much other banal, talentless efforts and you won't want to have missed it because you heeded the bad advice of a few forumulaic reviewers. Don't miss it, buy this CD and experience the rare beauty of a musical genius.

Underrated, eloquent, embellished restatement.......2005-06-24

This recording is so easy to take for granted, at least for me. When I first bought this recording what with it following the inventive and excellent "Imaginary Day", I expected an extrapolation on the more edgy material of "Imaginary Day". What I got was a recording so rich with the group's history and an embellishment and restatement of all that had come before.

The arrangments are outstanding. Pat once said that he intended for his recordings to be heard best through headphones since there are so many subtle elements that are contained within the music that you could miss them depending upon your sound system and the acoustics of the room. This especially true for this recording. The subtle use of voice intertwined with instruments and percussion is uniquely done here.

Richard Bona and Cuong Vu's voice lend a unique dynamic distinct from Pedro Aznar's and the Ledford/Blamires tandem.

Cuong Vu and Antonio Sanchez bring much that is new to the group sound. Sanchez gives them a drummer that is much more forceful, rhythmic and inventive than their previous drummers. He drives and punctuates throughout and in so doing helps redefine the group sound. Yet with all that power he can lay back and leave room for all the subtleties.

Cuong Vu is simply redefining what you can do with the trumpet. He gets so much sonically from his horn. He has even made an art of breathing throughout. His tone is rich and full, never shrill although capable of considerable virtuosity. He bring so much to this recording. His is a voice that has found almost equaly footing wiht with Pat, Lyle and Steve in the group. Not a clche is heard during his solos.

Lyle is Lyle. Here he as much to McCoy Tyner as to Bill Evans in his solos. His accompaniment on keyboards and piano lend so much to this recording.

This recording, in many ways, is jazzier than most of the Geffen recordings save for "Quartet". This is an ensemble in it's quintessential form. The personnel has reached parity. What with with such musicians as Richard Bona, Cuong Vu, Steve Rodby, Antonio Sanchez, Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny, there is as strength in this unit like never before.

The diversity of influence is here also. Much more democratically, owing as much as one as to the other. There are moments in this recording that can have you playing your air guitar, drums, piano, trying to sing the passages or just listening enraptured.

A worthy successor to "Imaginary Day".

The lyricism is here also. At times the unison passions have a liquid vocal quality to them. Here Vu, Mays, Metheny and Bona can almost be indistinguishable.

This one is a definite must-have.

Liven it up.......2005-02-13

My first encounter with the Pat Metheny Group was their 2003 performance on Austin City Limits. Coming to it as a fan of classic jazz, I was expecting something modernly bland, but to my delight the show was captivating -- it was vibrant and full of new (to me) sounds and ideas and had a really inspired feeling. The music grabbed my attention in the way that good music does, and I watched it many times and played it over and over in my head, savoring each phrase and change. So when I discovered that four of the seven tracks from that show are on Speaking of Now, I couldn't wait to hear the whole album. Maybe my expectations were set too high, perhaps I lack sufficient knowledge of the genre to give it an informed listen, but the studio cuts just don't do it for me the way the live versions did. The songs are played a little slower, the feel is more polished, the solos are less urgent, the sound-space is a little smaller, and for me that adds up to tunes that are less than what I already knew them to be from hearing them live. Don't get me wrong, I think Pat and his band are artists of the highest caliber, I just feel that there's something transcendent in this music that the studio didn't do justice to. Austin City Limits performance - 5 stars. Studio - 4 stars.

Average customer rating:

Spiritually Speaking (then and now) Blaze Manufacturer: West End ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Techno-House | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Found Love Soul Heaven Presents Blaze ASIN: B00008YFVJ Release Date: 2003-03-20

Tracks:

1. Melodies of Love
2. Breathe
3. Gloria Muse (The Yoga Song)
4. Do You Remember House? (feat. Palmer Brown)
5. Sweeter Than the Day Before
6. Where You Are
7. I Think of You (feat. Amira)
8. Black Byrd Interlude/ Spiritually Speaking
9. One World
10. Roots Interlude
11. Black Byrd
12. Black Byrd Flying Free
13. World Peace

Tracks:

1. If You Should Need a Friend
2. All that I Should Know
3. So Special
4. Good Life
5. Wishing You Were Here
6. How Deep Is Your Love
7. Elevation
8. Elements of Life
9. We Are One
10. Change the World

Album Description

Soulful house pioneers BLAZE (Kevin Hedge & Josh Milan) are issuing their "Spiritually Speaking" CD in the U.S this spring. This special double-album package includes a bonus disc of their past hits, many of which were unavailable on CD until now. The set also features two brand new tracks, "We Are One" and "Change The World." The result is a definitive collection of hits that showcases the great talents of this songwriting/production duo who have been making quality soulful music for almost two decades.

Average customer rating:

Canadian Art Songs Manufacturer: Centrediscs ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Vickers, Jon | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000DG0R Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Two Landscapes: The Sea Is Awash With Roses
2. Two Landscapes: We Must Be Slow
3. Three Songs To Words: Look Down Fair Moon
4. Three Songs To Words: After the Dazzle Of Day
5. Three Songs To Words: A Clear Midnight
6. Six Medieval Love Songs: Far Beyond All Dreams
7. Six Medieval Love Songs: Young And Golden Haired
8. Six Medieval Love Songs: O Lovely Restless Eyes
9. Six Medieval Love Songs: New Love
10. Six Medieval Love Songs: Softly The West Wind Blows
11. Six Medieval Love Songs: O Lovely Venus
12. Folk Songs Of Eastern Canada: She's Like The Swallow
13. Folk Songs Of Eastern Canada: I'll Give My Love An Apple
14. Five Lyrics Of The T'ang Dynasty: The Staircase Of Jade
15. Five Lyrics Of The T'ang Dynasty: The Limpid River
16. Five Lyrics Of The T'ang Dynasty: The Inlaid Harp
17. Five Lyrics Of The T'ang Dynasty: On A Rainy Night
18. Five Lyrics Of The T'ang Dynasty: Parting At A Wine Shop
19. Speaking From The Snow: Beauty's End Is In Sight
20. Speaking From The Snow: Now She Is Like The WhiteTree-Rose...
21. Speaking From The Snow: Rest From Loving And Be Living
22. Speaking From The Snow: Twenty Weeks Near Past...
23. Piping Down The Valleys Wild
24. I Love The Jocund Dance
25. Land Of Dreams

Average customer rating: Epilogue -- For Hardcore Metheny Fans Metheny just keeps expanding Typical Metheny and More

Speaking of Now Pat Metheny Group Manufacturer: Wea Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005V2WS Release Date: 2002-02-27

Tracks:

1. As It Is
2. Proof
3. Another Life
4. Gathering Sky
5. You
6. On Her Way
7. Place in the World
8. Afternoon
9. Wherever You Go
10. Epilogue [*]

Album Description

Japanese version of their 2002 studio album with the bonus track 'Epilogue'. Featuring a new line up - percussionist and vocalist Richard Bona, trumpeter Cuong Vu and drummer Antonio Sanchez - joining long-time pianist/collaborator Lyle Mays, bassist and co-producer Steve Rodby (now in his 20th year with the group) and Metheny, this is one of the most exciting, creative and inviting recordings of the group's already long and illustrious career.

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track

Customer Reviews:

Epilogue -- For Hardcore Metheny Fans.......2003-04-06

I have already reviewed the US release of "Speaking of Now", so for my full review look up the US release. My comments are in regards to the track "Epilogue" that is available on the Japan release.

"Epilogue", which was written by Pat Metheny and features him on acoustic guitar, sounds like it may have been intended to be the end of the album but for whatever reason, he yanked it from the US release, choosing instead to end with "Wherever You Go". (That's just my theory.) The recording quality is good but not quite as clean as the rest of the tracks. The composition itself is in the style of his other acoustic ballads like "Message to a Friend" or "Solo from More Travels".

If you do not own Speaking of Now, you would do well to purchase this CD as it contains all of the US tracks and the "Epilogue" as a little treat. If you own the US release already, you might want to skip this one, and wait instead for Pat's upcoming solo project "One Quiet Night".

Metheny just keeps expanding.......2002-12-23

This albumn is absolutley incredible from start to finish. I can listen to "speaking of now" over and over again without getting bored once. While this albumn does have a lot of classic Metheny tendencies it also breaks new ground in the field of Melodic ideas. Metheny said himself that this albumn was more geared toward melodies and it's obvious that it was. Steve Rodby and Lyle Mayes are on the cd as usual as well as some new faces. Antonio Sanchez to name one brings amazing power to the PMG as it's new drummer. His touch and feel are both amazing and how about that solo when he keeps the Clave going through the whole thing! I suggest you buy this albumn!

Typical Metheny and More.......2002-11-02

This disc contains the typical Metheny that I love...great melodies, wonderful harmonies, rhythm and key changes. It also adds some horns (A Place In the World) as well as vocals from Nano, and other instruments not frequently found on the Group's albums. I didn't know this disc existed until someone turned me onto it - now it rates up there along with the many other Metheny discs in my collection.

If you like Pat, Lyle and the rest of the gang, this disc is one you HAVE to add to your collection!

Average customer rating:

Ready Now Manufacturer: Pookie Entertainment Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0002TTUTG

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