Pat Metheny Group
Studio album by
the Pat Metheny Group
ReleasedMarch 1978[1]
RecordedJanuary 1978
StudioTalent, Oslo, Norway
GenreJazz fusion
Length41:28
LabelECM
ECM 1114 ST
ProducerManfred Eicher
Pat Metheny chronology
Watercolors
(1977)		 Pat Metheny Group
(1978)		 New Chautauqua
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
All About Jazz[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[6]

Pat Metheny Group is the debut album by the Pat Metheny Group, recorded in January 1978 and released on ECM March that same year. The quartet features rhythm section Lyle Mays, Mark Egan, and Danny Gottlieb.

Background

Composition and style

Many elements that became defining traits of the band's overall sound were in place on this album, namely Metheny's incorporation of several different guitars and Mays's fusion of electronic and acoustic keyboards to create a fuller, more harmonically sophisticated foundation for the melodies and solos.[7] This is notably evidenced on "Phase Dance" where Metheny introduces the main melody on an acoustic guitar and then switches to an electric to play one of the improvisational solos, with Mays providing the foundation on keyboards before playing the other solo.[8] "Phase Dance" quickly became a signature song for the Group, most often played in concert as an introductory piece.[9] "Jaco" is a tribute to the bass player Jaco Pastorius.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pat Metheny, except as noted.

Side I
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."San Lorenzo"
  • Metheny
  • Mays
10:14
2."Phase Dance"
  • Metheny
  • Mays
8:18
Side II
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jaco" 5:34
2."Aprilwind" 2:09
3."April Joy" 8:14
4."Lone Jack"
  • Metheny
  • Mays
6:41

Personnel

Pat Metheny Group

Charts

Year Chart Position
1978 Billboard Jazz Albums 5
1978 Billboard Pop Albums 123

References

  1. ↑ "Pat Metheny Group". ECM.
  2. ↑ Yanow, Scott. "Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  3. ↑ Tipp, Jayson (1 February 1997). "Pat Metheny Group: Pat Metheny Group". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 139. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  6. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 993. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  7. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. p. 97.
  8. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. pp. 106–108.
  9. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. p. 106.
  10. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. p. 112.
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