Track Listing

1. One Quiet Night
2. Song For The Boys
3. Don't Know Why
4. Another Chance
5. And Time Goes On
6. My Song
7. Peace Memory
8. Ferry Cross The Mersey
9. Over On 4th Street
10. I Will Find The Way
11. North To South, East To West
12. Last Train Home

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3972 in Music
• Released on: 2003-05-27
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
On the heels of his 15th Grammy Pat Metheny, the most honored jazz guitarist in history, offers one of the most adventurous albums of his career. One Quiet Night is simply Metheny and a solo baritone guitar. Completely acoustic, no overdubs, using a rediscovered low Nashville tuning and recorded in his home studio. Slipcase. Warner Brothers. 2003.

Amazon.com
After having played in either trios or mid-sized group in recent years, Metheny goes the solo acoustic route on One Quiet Night. As the title implies, Metheny is in a contemplative mood, as he records a mix covers and old and new originals in his home studio. Playing his baritone guitar in a low country music tuning, Methany explores tonal shading throughout 12 relatively short tunes that are more impressionistic meditations than songs build around traditional jazz arrangements. The Norah Jones hit "Don’t Know Why" is born anew, but the new original pieces point in a particularly fresh new vein for the great guitarist. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

A different sort of place.
I don't really understand the sort of critique that calls this album monotonous or compares it to background music. I'll admit that for the casual listener it may -become- either of those things. But the fact that this album is played entirely on a baritone acoustic affords each one of the tracks a very distinct bass line, which Metheny is obviously conscious of bringing to the front; and in this respect the album sounds a lot like a duo recording, even if it isn't. Most or all of the tracks are a study in counterpoint, open-string voicings on the guitar, and rhythmic drive, but each song speaks in a different way.

I think with this album one has to sort of meet Metheny halfway. There aren't any mind-blowing synth solos or catchy melodies to suck a listener in; instead one is asked to peer deeply into the feel and color of each chord struck, to discern between the melody and bassline and what's in between, and to try to understand the way in which a six-stringed instrument can, in the right hands, become something capable of orchestral expressions. This album is a step in a new direction for solo jazz guitar.

Some amazing parts but underdeveloped and redundant as well
As always, Metheny's technical prowess never ceases to amaze, and with this unique venture into solo acoustic introspective mode, fans are treated to another side and music lover's are treated to another language in which jazz guitar may speak. That language, however, becomes rather limited and somewhat rambling as an album whole, despite each track holding promise in some regard.

Review #72
Wow. I am surprised at the negative reviews. I guess it has all been said. There are only a handful of 'Genius' musicians currently active today. So you should buy this CD and listen to it and maybe understand it or even enjoy it. I've played guitar for 20 years so Pats playing on the Acoustic has always moved me. But you certainly don't need to play an instrument to enjoy this. This album is definitely worth buying at the least. I brought it to a high end audio shop to demo a system there and these tracks pulled the owners out of the hole and silenced the phones for a moment. The guitar work is rich and the added bass from the Baritone guitar is fantastic. It is an obvious gem for the Metheny collection. JAFO's Opinion, and that maybe worth nothing.