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The Way Up
Pat Metheny Group, Pat Metheny
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 2005-01-25
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
For nearly 30 years, guitarist Pat Metheny and his longtime musical cohort, pianist/keyboardist Lyle Mays, have covered an incredible amount of diverse material. On their debut recording for this label, they and their international group--bassist Steve Rodby, Mexican drummer Antonio Sanchez, Vietnamese trumpeter Coung Vu, and the Swiss-born harmonica virtuoso Gregoire Maret--distill that diversity into a continuous 68-minute opus. The challenge here lies in sustaining the melodic narrative thread while keeping the sound of surprise. Thanks to Mays's evocative pianisms and Metheny's array of acoustic, electric, and synthesized guitars, the group pulls it off. For Metheny fans this disc contains elements of his most acclaimed recordings, from the straight-ahead swing of Question and Answer and the folk-fusion of Offramp, to the Afro-Latin tinges of We Live Here, the atonally adventurous Zero Tolerance for Silence, and the Asian impressionism of Secret Story. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

2) Album Description
The Way Up represents, in the words of guitarist Pat Metheny himself, "our most ambitious undertaking ever as a group"-a single, brilliant 68-minute piece composed by Metheny and his collaborator of 28 years, Lyle Mays. Metheny has likened the creation of The Way Up to making a film, and in some respects, the album feels like a vividly rendered journey, its moods shifting like scenes glimpsed from a fast-moving vehicle.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) THE WAY UP   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
THE WAY UP!! THE CD WAS DELIVERED IN A VERY TIMELY MANNER AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. LOVE THE MUSIC TOO!! :-) THANKS

2) Orchestral Maneuvers   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
The rich textures of sound is impressive and the sheer joy heard in the musicianship makes The Way Up very special. It transcends the jazz label - the production is perfect - and approaches the beauty of a classical performance. The work was composed by Pat Metheny (g) and Lyle Mays (p & key). Opening does just that and introduces the key structures & elements of the three parts. The upbeat work features one of many intricate guitar solos by Metheny. Drummer Antonio Sanchez drives Part One, with trumpeter Cuong Vu soloing late, along with outstanding interplay between Metheny & Mays.On Part Two, close your eyes when Gregoire Maret is soloing on harmonica and you will visualize Toots Theilman, his playing is that good. Vu's voice especially complements the motif designed by Mays in Part Three. Like a fine wine, the Pat Metheny Group has gotten better with age. The Way Up is nothing less than the band's masterpiece.

3) Transcending genre into pure music   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I'm late kicking in my two cents, but after reading some of the silly commments posted here I had to chime in. I've been a fan of Metheny all along, enjoying some recordings more than others. Even when freshness seemed lacking at times, the brilliant musicianship and melodic gift were always there. Then along comes The Way Up, to me a defining moment in the already remarkable life of the PMG. The length and richness of the longform piece enables the full exploration of ideas and landscapes that is never quite possible in the typical 5-8 minute album cut. It's an absolutely beautiful piece and recording with so many satisfying turns. It's a symphony, PMG style. It is not about being jazz, or rock, or fusion, or folk, or any other restrictive term some people always seem to need to apply to things. It is about pure inspiration performed by masterful musicians. It takes both a mastery of one's tools and art form and a humble awareness of the true origin of all inspiration to discern, record and perform great art such as this. That is what happened here, and there are many of us who are profoundly grateful for the gift the Pat Metheny Group has given us with The Way Up.

4) Up and Out   [Rating: 2 out of 5]
This is probably the most polarizing recording of Metheny's career even to the extent that similar qualities are viewed positively or negatively depending on the listener. For my money, this is an almost entirely disappointing collection that feels neither original nor very interesting. I've read the jazz versus progressive jazz/rock comments and come down on the side of the latter which doesn't happen to be my favorite genre or what I want to hear from Metheny. It undermines his talents and his overall discography to add a word-of-mouth label to `avoid this one'The long songs that dominate The Way Up are not compelling enough to hold interest even after repeated attempts. The first track, "Opening" is described in one of the many 5-star reviews as a song that "...combines everything Metheny has done over the years in one song..." I see that as an inherent problem with this recording - it's as if Metheny tries to throw in his entire post-ECM catalog; diffuse, distort and ratchet up the mix enough to achieve something new. Yes, Pat Metheny has earned the right to experiment but like it or not, any artist can end up a commodity and the road back, like the way up, can be a haul.

5) The best PMG record since Imaginary Day - can't wait for the DVD!!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Having been fortunate enough to listen to Pat and the Group since 1985, I look forward to each and every release. I was definitely not disappointed when this one came out, and of course, I rushed out to buy it. I have never seen 68 minutes go by so fast, as this recording just gets better with every listen! Pat, of course, gives his usual flawless performance. Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby, Antonio Sanchez, Cuong Vu, Gregoire Maret, and Nando Lauria also add so much to this recording. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform this live twice in 2005. There is no other artists I would pay to see, except PMG, play live. I do not see how they do it, each night, playing 2 1/2-3 hours each night. No other musician even comes close to Pat Metheny, I don't care what genre.