We Live Here [Blister] [Remaster] (CD - 1994)

Pat Metheny Group: Pat Metheny (guitar, guitar synthesizer); David Blamires (vocals); Mark Ledford (vocals, whistles, flugelhorn, trumpet); Lyle Mays (piano, keyboards); Steve Rodby (acoustic & electric basses); Paul Wertico (drums); Luis Conte (percussion).

Additional personnel: Dave Samuels (cymbals); Sammy Merendino (drum programming).

Principally recorded at The Hit Factory, New York, New York in 1994.

WE LIVE HERE won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

Pat Metheny: Mark Ledford (vocals, whistling, flugelhorn); David Blamires (vocals); Pat Metheny (guitar, synthesizer); Lyle Mays (piano, keyboards); Steve Rodby (upright bass, bass guitar); Paul Wertico (drums); Luis Conte (percussion).

Additional personnel: Dave Samuels.

The Pat Metheny Group have always been on the move. Previous album titles such as THE ROAD TO YOU, OFFRAMP and LETTER FROM HOME indicate a proclivity for motion, and on their latest production, WE LIVE HERE, they show that their home is a constant state of travel. Throughout these nine songs they challenge the listener to not go with them.

The Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays composition team works with hooky structures which provide foundations for thoughtful, and, at times, passionate improvisations. The rousing riff behind "Stranger In Town" serves as a jumping-off point for one of Pat's many stunning solos. With a full, warm sound, he masterfully develops his improvisations as if he were telling tales, weaving lines through carefully fabricated collages of harmonic color. Thematic and motivic development are standard in Metheny's playing, and he expresses his ideas with such conviction and craft that you may find yourself humming them later.

Another highlight of WE LIVE HERE is the propelling percussion of Luis Conte. From the hip-hoppish groove of "Here To Stay" to the fierce, tribal soundscape supporting the title track, Conte always adds the right juice to the mix.

The Pat Metheny Group are at home when they are playing with fire--sometimes smoldering, sometimes blazing, but always burning. minimize