Metheny

When this album was released in 1994, it shocked casual, and even some hardcore, Metheny fans. Recorded in one day, Zero Tolerance for Silence can best be described as semi-organized noise. In fact, it is often compared with Lou Reed's racket-fest, Metal Machine Music. The recording is five tracks of Metheny's improvised riffing on electric guitar with no other accompaniment, and few, if any, overdubs. Pat Metheny has flirted with this mind-bending musical genre many times before, including his work with Ornette Coleman and even in concert with the Pat Metheny Group.

These two guitarists - one an elder statesman, the other still a relatively young man in the midst of a stellar career - are such a natural fit that it's amazing no one's thought of getting them together for a duo album before. Both play with a gentle touch and sweet tone, and both are capable of challenging experimentation, though each have spent most of their time in one mainstream tradition or another (Jim Hall in straight-ahead jazz, Pat Metheny in jazz-rock fusion). On this disc they focus on original compositions (Metheny's "Farmer's Trust" and "Into the Dream," Hall's "Cold Spring" and "Waiting to Dance"), but there are also tunes by Jerome Kern and Steve Swallow as well as the inevitable rendition of "Summertime"…

If 1980's As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls was defined by Pat Metheny's charisma, its less accessible but certainly rewarding successor, Offramp, finds him leaning more toward the abstract. But as cerebral as Metheny gets on such atmospheric pieces as "Are You Going with Me?" and "Au Lait," his playing remains decidedly lyrical and melodic. Clearly influenced by Jim Hall, the thoughtful Metheny makes excellent use of space, choosing his notes wisely and reminding listeners that, while he has heavy-duty chops, he's not one to beat everybody over the head with them. Even when he picks up the tempo for the difficult and angular title song, he shuns empty musical acrobatics. Throughout the CD, Metheny enjoys a powerful rapport with keyboardist Lyle Mays, who also avoids exploiting his technique and opts for meaningful storytelling.

Excellent addition to any jazz music collection
Pat Metheny is one of the world's best-selling jazz musicians. He must be the one jazz guitarist whose albums are likely to appeal to lovers of symphonic prog - particularly his epics IMAGINARY DAY and THE WAY UP.

Essential: a masterpiece of Jazz-Fusion music
"New Chautauqua" is one of Metheny's most solitary and melancholy albums. Pat Metheny is a man who loves to travel. We can say this not only because he does about a billion concerts every year, but his main themes in his music are about the road, exploring the urban world, but also more isolated places.

Featuring recordings from both Pat Metheny's solo albums and Pat Metheny Group releases, Works is an excellent introduction to the artist who helped make ECM Records a successful "boutique" record label. This collection includes seven excellent recordings originally released in the late '70s and early '80s. Works features Metheny's partner, keyboardist extraordinaire Lyle Mays, on four tracks. Metheny and Mays are truly musical soul mates - rarely do two musicians complement each other as well as they do. "It's for You," penned by the duo, is one of the most moving instrumental compositions ever recorded – Metheny wastes no notes during the soaring guitar solo on this beautiful recording. In fact, every track on Works is stunning.

Beyond the Missouri Sky (Short Stories) is a jazz album by Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny, two musicians who come from Missouri. The album was released by Verve Records on February 25, 1997. At the 40th Grammy Awards, they were awarded (Haden's first and Metheny's tenth) the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.