Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny — Beyond the Missouri Sky (Short Stories)
(Verve 537 130, 1997, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 1997-10-01

Beyond the Missouri Sky (Short Stories) Cover art

This is a disc by two jazz virtuosos who have played before numerous times in various incarnations, from free jazz (based on work by Ornette Coleman) to more straight ahead work with Jack DeJohnette. This time out they are revisiting their folk and country roots and serving them up in a sophisticated and timeless jazz setting. Instrumentation on most of the tracks is simply acoustic guitar and string bass — all songs are paired down for duet, one-on-one interplay. And the results are astoundingly bright without lazing into sleepytime. The disc opener is a mid-tempo ballad workout, sensitive and warm. "Message to a Friend" recalls the piece "The Farmer’s 92 Trust" (from Metheny's 1983 release Travels), an elegantly focused acoustic guitar piece, both pretty and sincere. Metheny’s soloing takes on the phrasing of an old tenor master, breathing and using space as the bookends for the next transitional note. You almost feel like you’re on the fretboard as he whispers on to the next chord. Haden’s bass is mostly soothing with less pulse than that of the larger band settings, but meshes well within context. One of the covers performed by the duo includes a country standard by Roy Acuff done in a rather folksy style. "Spiritual" is the rich bluesy closing track on the disc, a mournful but appropriate ending to a classy work. The album sleeve liner notes and photos make this CD one your jazz collection will yearn to own. This is one of the few discs where I could sense even before I played it that there is "Grammy award winner" written all over it. Highly recommended.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 13, 1997 releases

Related artist(s): Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.