Review
by Thom Jurek
The jazz tradition has long taken pop songs, reimagined and reinvented them harmonically and rhythmically and re-presented them as vehicles for improvisation. Pat Metheny has done something different on What's It All About, his second Nashville-tuned baritone acoustic guitar record (with a handful of other acoustic instruments and no overdubs, but there are edits). Here he performs ten pop songs that have long been part of his personal arcana and recorded them so that we might hear what's inside these songs -- as songs. Recorded on a single day in February of 2011, Metheny interprets well-known songs by Paul Simon, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lennon & McCartney, Henry Mancini, the Ventures, Burt Bacharach, Paul Williams, Terry Kirkman, Carly Simon, Thom Bell, and others across the pop spectrum. His approach is deliberate; his interest is in the subtlety of melody; its nuance, and mystery; he finds the places he hears inside the music before these songs even begin, or just after they end, through a unique series of tunings he employs between A-flat and C. "The Sound of Silence" opens the set by suggesting the tones of a Japanese koto in its intro (courtesy of his 42-string Pikasso guitar). When the melody commences, its languorous richness and rhythmic balance are so perfect, we hear it not only as the pop song we remember by Simon & Garfunkel, but as a lyric invention that is almost magical in its possibility. The version of Kirkman's "Cherish" (a big hit by the Association), is equally profound. He finds the space where the human voice inserts itself in the harmonic structure and opens it with his guitar. There is slightly more improvisation in "Alfie," but it's open, spacious, and full of hinted-at dimensions in the crafting of the song's parameters. "Girl from Ipanema," played as a skeletal, impressionistic ballad, uncovers suggestions of darker melodies inside. He pulls out both the implied elegance in "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be," and the quietly majestic variety of it in "Rainy Days and Mondays." "Betcha by Golly, Wow" stands as a revelation: its inventive harmonics and syncopations are inherent in the tune's basic architecture. In closer "And I Love Her" are the direct implications of bossa that Lennon and McCartney had no doubt taken note of at the time. Ultimately, What's It All About is an intimate work revealing Metheny's investigation of composition itself. The notion of song is inherent in everything he does, and he reveals that inspiration in spades here.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-it-all-about-mw0002154267
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Reseña
por Thom Jurek
La tradición del jazz ha tomado durante mucho tiempo las canciones pop, las ha reinventado y reinventado armónica y rítmicamente y las ha vuelto a presentar como vehículos para la improvisación. Pat Metheny ha hecho algo diferente en What's It All About, su segundo disco de guitarra acústica barítono afinado en Nashville (con un puñado de otros instrumentos acústicos y sin sobregrabaciones, pero hay ediciones). Aquí interpreta diez canciones pop que han sido durante mucho tiempo parte de sus arcanos personales y las grabó para que podamos escuchar lo que hay dentro de estas canciones as como canciones. Grabado en un solo día de febrero de 2011, Metheny interpreta canciones conocidas de Paul Simon, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lennon & McCartney, Henry Mancini, the Ventures, Burt Bacharach, Paul Williams, Terry Kirkman, Carly Simon, Thom Bell y otros en todo el espectro pop. Su enfoque es deliberado; su interés está en la sutileza de la melodía; su matiz y misterio; encuentra los lugares que escucha dentro de la música antes de que estas canciones comiencen, o justo después de que terminen, a través de una serie única de afinaciones que emplea entre La bemol y el Do. "The Sound of Silence" abre el conjunto sugiriendo los tonos de un koto japonés en su introducción (cortesía de su guitarra Pikasso de 42 cuerdas). Cuando la melodía comienza, su riqueza lánguida y su equilibrio rítmico son tan perfectos que la escuchamos no solo como la canción pop que recordamos de Simon & Garfunkel, sino como una invención lírica que es casi mágica en su posibilidad. La versión de "Cherish" de Kirkman (un gran éxito de la Asociación), es igualmente profunda. Encuentra el espacio donde la voz humana se inserta en la estructura armónica y la abre con su guitarra. Hay un poco más de improvisación en "Alfie", pero es abierto, espacioso y lleno de dimensiones insinuadas en la elaboración de los parámetros de la canción. "Girl from Ipanema", interpretada como una balada esquelética e impresionista, descubre sugerencias de melodías más oscuras en su interior. Saca tanto la elegancia implícita en "Así es como siempre he Escuchado que Debería Ser", como la variedad silenciosamente majestuosa en " Días Lluviosos y lunes."Betcha by Golly, Wow" es una revelación: sus ingeniosos armónicos y síncopas son inherentes a la arquitectura básica de la melodía. En closer "And I Love Her" son las implicaciones directas de bossa de las que Lennon y McCartney sin duda habían tomado nota en ese momento. En última instancia, Se trata de una obra íntima que revela la investigación de Metheny sobre la composición en sí. La noción de canción es inherente a todo lo que hace, y revela esa inspiración a raudales aquí.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-it-all-about-mw0002154267
www.patmetheny.com ...
1 - The Sound Of Silence
Written-By – Paul Simon – 6:32
2 - Cherish
Written-By – Terry Kirkman – 5:25
3 - Alfie
Written-By – Burt Bacharach & Hal David – 7:41
4 - Pipeline
Written-By – Bob Spickard, Brian Carman – 3:23
5 - Garota De Ipanema
Written-By – Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes – 5:07
6 - Rainy Days And Mondays
Written-By – Paul H. Williams*, Roger S. Nichols – 7:10
7 - That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
Written-By – Carly Simon, Jacob Brackman – 5:57
8 - Slow Hot Wind
Written-By – Henry Mancini, Norman Gimbel – 4:23
9 - Betcha By Golly, Wow
Written-By – Linda Creed, Thomas Bell – 5:12
10 - And I Love Her
Written-By – John Lennon & Paul McCartney – 4:2
Credits:
Baritone Guitar – Pat Metheny (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 9)
Design – Barbara De Wilde
Executive-Producer – Robert Hurwitz
Guitar [42-String] – Pat Metheny (tracks: 1)
Guitar [6-String] – Pat Metheny (tracks: 4)
Guitar [Nylon-String] – Pat Metheny (tracks: 10)
Liner Notes – Pat Metheny
Mastered By – Ted Jensen
Mixed By – Pete Karam
Photography By – Sandrine Lee
Producer [Produced By] – Pat Metheny
Recorded By – David Oakes, Pat Metheny, Pete Karam
Recorded on a single day in February 2011 in NYC
https://www.patmetheny.com/music/detail.cfm?id=131
Label: Nonesuch – 7559-79647-0
Country: Europe
Released: 2011
Genre: Jazz
Style: Instrumental, Acoustic
https://www.discogs.com/release/3858084-Pat-Metheny-Whats-It-All-About
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