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PAT METHENY
A Map Of The World

as reviewed by Jack Crompton at Amazon.com, November 17, 2006

Moving to the soul – soothing to the ear...

I have been a passionate lover of the music of Pat Metheny since first hearing the first 'Pat Metheny Group' album back in 1978. I was blown away with the 'freshness' of his very original sound and the creative originality of the band playing together. Over the years, I've watched with great interest as he has grown and matured as an artist. His prodigous output speaks for itself. Pat is an artist totally immersed in and dedicated to his purpose in life, and the fruits of this dedication show. His music continues to be highly original and fresh with each album and with each concept and each collaboration explored.

Pat has released a handful of 'solo' albums over the years, from 'New Chataqua' in the seventies to the passionate 'Secret Story' in 1992, and now this exquisite gem, 'Map of the World'. As one of my very favorite artists, it is really hard to pick one favorite work of his, but I love this album so much, I just had to write this review of it.

Start to finish, this is a singular work that is diverse yet cohesive, creatively brilliant, beautiful and so very very listenable. In short, I feel it is Pat Metheny at his best, sans 'The Group'. Map of the World is a meditative journey of artistic excellence, comprised of 28 segments that all hold together, yet change in mood. It is a seamless work: You really don't know where one track ends and the next begins as it is one continuim. In that way, the album is like an orchestral piece with several movements, centered around and always returning to Pat's delicate, beautiful acoustic guitar work, always interesting, and to my ears... never boring. Several 'themes' serve to hold the entire piece together as he weaves a tapestry of sound textures that continually change, varying the mood. Segments are buffered by sometimes melancholy and emotionally moving orchestral arrangements, beautifully done.

Map of the World is a very different animal to most of the noise out there. It's less of a collection of songs as it is a singular 'experience' sounds and emotions. It's most appreciated when one can just sit back, close their eyes and 'loose themselves' in it. It's a vibe I enjoy returning to now and again. In fact, unless you can do that, you really are not hearing it. One needs to be quiet enough inside of their own soul to really 'hear' this music and appreciate what Pat is all about. If you are not yet familiar with this living master of music, then this is a great place to start your collection. If you have any appreciation at all for beauty, sensitivity and peace, you will LOVE this.

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