|
Orchestrion | 
| Artist: Pat Metheny
Label: Nonesuch
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $8.30
as of 7/30/2010 12:10 CDT details
You Save: $10.68 (56%)
New (47) Used (10) from $7.24
Seller: tetgrets
Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 1146
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.2
MPN: 516668
UPC: 075597984736
EAN: 0075597984736
ASIN: B002U33GTW
Publication Date: January 27, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Orchestrion | | • | Entry Point | | • | Expansion | | • | Soul Search | | • | Spirit of the Air |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Grammy Award-winning composer-guitarist Pat Metheny s Orchestrion may turn out to be his most talked-about, argued-over undertaking. It s already his most adventurous. With Orchestrion, Metheny redefines the concept of the solo album. He is indeed the only live musician on this recording, but it s the opposite of, say, his 2003 One Quiet Night, in which Metheny hunkered down in his home studio to explore all the musical possibilities of one new guitar. Here he works with an extraordinary set-up of acoustic instruments, assembled for him by a visionary team of inventors. What they have created in collaboration with Metheny is a veritable made-to-order solenoid orchestra that includes, among other things, bass, pianos, percussion, marimbas, guitar-bots, and a mellifluous cabinet of carefully tuned bottles. Using one-of-a-kind software programs and solenoid switches, Metheny controls each instrument via his guitar and an array of pedals.
Orchestrion was influenced by the primitive but evocative player-piano technology of yesteryear that has fascinated Metheny since he was a child. The player piano inspired inventors of that age to create the orchestrion, a large mechanical multi-instrument device that imitated the sound of an orchestra. Metheny brings this concept into the 21st century, composing and playing five ambitious pieces with his tailor-made, sophisticated, musically dynamic ensemble. Orchestrionics is what Metheny calls this new method of performing. The resulting album, recorded in midtown Manhattan s MSR studio after months of experimentation at home, is a marvel of the digital era, yet the record sounds beautifully, stirringly, human. In other words, timeless.
To witness Metheny improvising on guitar while surrounded by these instruments, digitally triggered to play the scores that Metheny has painstakingly written for each of them, is indeed a wonder. Eager fans have already made sell-outs of the first dates of Metheny s Orchestrion tour. But hearing is truly believing: there is not a single note on Orchestrion that sounds mechanical, and some tracks, like Expansion, have a thrillingly improvisational feel to them.
Metheny has gone into uncharted territory: every day in the studio with these instruments was a revelation as he began to comprehend what they were capable of musically and, more importantly, what he himself could achieve in their presence. They were not a substitute for the interaction of other players and this does not signal a shift from Metheny s other collaborative ventures. In fact, Metheny most recently proved his love for ensemble playing with his 2008 tour-de-force trio release, Day Trip.
Orchestrion is all about innovation. As Metheny puts it, This experience so far has provided me with a self-imposed challenge that has proven to be enormously difficult and time-consuming, but the early results have been absolutely exhilarating. I am excited to share this project... I am hopeful and confident that if nothing else, this will be something truly unique. It feels like progress to me and has gotten some notes out of me that I didn't know were there. That is always a good thing.
Album Description
2010 release from the acclaimed Jazz guitarist.Orchestrion is an adventurous "solo" recording that pairs the composer-guitarist with a phalanx of remarkable, custom-made instruments played via solenoid switches and pneumatics, resulting in the most original set of his career.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
 Disapointing July 13, 2010
Pm Sikutshwa (Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa)
I don't know what is going on here. I am very disapointed, only one tune that is appealing "Expansion".
 of course yes, but... July 7, 2010
Michel Remy ABADIE (Brunswick Heads, N.S.W, AU)
I heard orchestrion at l'olympia in Paris. I'm french and live in Australia where Pat Metheny hardly ever comes touring. Anyway, he started with solo pieces on accoustic guitar, and i really loved that. I expected a full band sitting there behind that curtain, and i admit, was disappointed at the sight of machines.His explaining words of what he was doing were cordial, extremely informative, and i could feel the entire audience was hanging on to every word, every note... and i knew that sort of project was ruminating inside his remarkable creative genius for some time now..standing ovation happened and a couple of encores, of course the night was memorable for a die hard fan like me ( i've got every PM CD ) but at the end of the day it's the beautiful Beyond the missouri sky accoustic guitar with Charlie Hayden that i listen to again and again and i feel so blessed, Thank You Pat and all the best with your french wife and third child.
Pat Metheny June 26, 2010
Cynthia Bader
I just saw Pat Metheny resently in NYC. This is truly a concert that I really enjoyed. This man is really a genius.In his lastest project "Orchestrion", he actually developed & had programmed musical instruments to his guitar playing.I haven't seen anything like it. Do buy or download this CD. If you can,see if you can catch him on tour.
Free Your Mind, and the Rest Will Follow! June 15, 2010
AlexnMax (New York, NY)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Break out of your comfort zone and check out this CD and Pat's concert (if you can get tix!). On faith, I bought a ticket to his show back during the December pre-sale, when even the email description of the music couldn't adequately lay out what to expect. I wasn't disappointed. As a matter of fact I was amazed as true fans will be.
I've been a Metheny fan almost from the beginning, and Orchestrion -- while it still is Pat's sound and stylings -- enters a different realm. Sure, he's on stage alone but if you close your eyes you'll think he's surrounded by an entire band. Open your eyes and open your mind and just experience it. What he built with his unique orchestrion, and the music it creates, should be encountered live to truly appreciate it. When you hear the CD you still sit back and chill to his music, like you usually do.
Pat's always been Pat and that's what's best about him. He's always curious, never satisfied, always climbing. Pat Metheny always takes us along for his journeys and I, for one, thank him for all the magical roads he's led me on.
Complex & multi-layered June 13, 2010
Discerning Reader (Canton, MI United States)
I enjoy Pat Metheny's breezy and memorable melodies because they transport me to a different place while sitting still. But this CD takes you on a different kind of journey. It has more complicated and layered melodies that require more than passive listening. I enjoyed it -- yet in a different, more contemplative way. "Orchestrion" seems to mark an evolution in Metheny's music, always enjoyable and more sophisticated.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Disclaimer: The products referenced on this site are manufactured and sold by other parties and sold through Amazon.com We make no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products. Any questions, complaints, or claims regarding the products must be directed to the appropriate manufacturer or vendor, or to Amazon.com. | |
