New Chautauqua [Slipcase]

Performer: Pat Metheny
Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug
Producer: Manfred Eicher
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Solo performer: Pat Metheny (acoustic, 6- & 12-string electric & 15-string harp guitars, electric bass). Recorded at Talent Studio, Oslo, Norway in August 1978. Personnel: Pat Metheny (electric 12-string guitar, harp guitar, electric bass). Guitarist Pat Metheny is one of the few artists that can perform an entire album by himself and sound like whole orchestra on his own. NEW CHAUTAUQUA finds the modern guitar master employing a myriad of stringed instruments, in both solo works and multi-tracked collages, to great effect. Each piece is awash in Metheny's signature pastoral style, full of lush strummed chords and angular melodic lines. So complete is the guitarist's musical creation that it is difficult to distinguish the seams dividing his many instrumental voices, sounding as if he had played them all simultaneously. For the listener, this creates a sublime sonic experience. The tracks range from dense epics like the opening title track to the programmatic "Daybreak," a delicate solo work that produces a dramatic effect that is both lonesome and comforting. Metheny stays acoustic for much of the disc, employing stunning finger picking on the folk-styled "Country Poem" and the intricate "Sueno Con Mexico." The most haunting piece is the darkly lit "Hermitage," a melancholy work that displays Metheny's renowned expressiveness. Also included is the mood piece "Long Ago Child/Fallen Star," which hints at the guitarist's equally inspiring experimental side.

Jazz guitar innovator Pat Metheny first appeared in the mid-'70s as a prodigy in Gary Burton's band, and soon thereafter he was leading his own group. He is among the few jazz artists who've become household names--his music has appeal well beyond the typical jazz audience, yet his artistic integrity is unquestionable, and he has used his success to pursue many less-commercial side projects. Ever the explorer, Metheny has been a pioneer of the guitar synthesizer, a champion of the avant garde, and a unifier of musical styles, incorporating rock, folk, world music, and even country influences into his unique musical paradigm.

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