Pat Metheny Group - The Road To You (1993)

Recorded in Naples, Bari, Pescara, and Iesi, Italy, plus Paris, Marseille, and Besançon, France. Complete tour dates available here.

Live treats from the Pat Metheny Group. Like most good live jazz albums, it features many tunes never before recorded/released among a few fan favorites. It's not all to my liking, but there's enough crowd-pleasers to please this crowd of one. The album was awarded the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (Instrumental), an award only given the years 1992-2011; Metheny won the category six times during those years.

Metheny – guitars, guitar synths
Lyle Mays – piano, keyboards
Steve Rodby – acoustic and electric bass
Paul Wertico – drums, percussion
Armando Marçal – percussion, timbales, congas, voice
Pedro Aznar – voice, acoustic guitar, percussion, saxophone, steel drums, vibes, marimba, melodica

Reviews/ratings:

• Downbeat (★★★½): "the real showstoppers are...reflective, romantic ballads"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000) (★★★): "They are a fun group to see live (even if some of their sets go on longer than The Grateful Dead used to), and this pared-down souvenir will find plenty of appeal."
• Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
• Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #170
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #4
• CashBox Jazz: #4

Tracks:

	Track	Original Album
1	Have You Heard	Letter From Home	✔
2	First Circle	First Circle	✔
3	The Road To You	The Road To You	✔
4	Half Life Of Absolution	The Road To You
5	Last Train Home	Still Life (Talking)	✔
6	Better Days Ahead	Letter From Home	✔
7	Naked Moon	The Road To You
8	Beat 70	Letter From Home	✔
9	Letter From Home	Letter From Home	✔
10	Third Wind	Still Life (Talking)	✔
11	Solo From 'More Travels'	More Travels*	✔

*A solo guitar piece that appeared in Metheny's concert video More Travels but not previously released on CD.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

:rarum IX (2004)	Travels (1983)
Different Trains (1989)	Offramp (1982)
Letter From Home (1989)	As Falls Wichita... (1981)
Still Life (Talking) (1987)	80/81 (1980)
The Falcon & The Snowman (1985)	American Garage (1979)
Rejoicing (1984)	New Chautauqua (1979)
First Circle (1984)	Pat Metheny Group (1978)
	Watercolors (1977)