Pat Metheny : American Garage

SUBJECT:	What KIN you say? Back to Subjects
naut Feb 04 2014 at 8:39 AM	Great album. Still absorbing it. Love "Born" - one of Pat’s nicest ballads. As somebody somewhere said, Antonio "is an animal" on this one. I like Chris’s playing as much or more than on PMUB. Love Pat’s long synth solo on the title track. Just a few blurbs....
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franksexton Oct 17 2014 at 10:52 AM	thanks for replying, naut. Sometimes I feel like I’m just having a conversation with myself on this site. When the Unity Band was first formed I thought they should be something like a Micheal Brecker tribute band. I did see that they have perfomed some of the songs that Pat used to do with Miike in concert. On this album though Pat defines his own direction like he always has. In the title track my favorite part is when Chris and Ben trade off rifs back and forth. I think that Ben really shows off his musicianship on KIN much more than he did on the first album. Think where may be a live Unity album in the near future ?
patsfan Oct 16 2014 at 11:37 PM	Naut, you couldn’t have expressed it better !!! I try to be impartial and lsample as much jazz as I can, but it always comes back to my intense preference for Pat’s composing .. and of course playing ....the breath of style, sound, mood, rhythm , etc etc is amazing and so refreshing . I listen to Pat’s music every day, I’m addicted for life.
naut Oct 15 2014 at 11:50 PM	Pat’s composing has ALWAYS been tops for me: the sound, the swing, the optimism, the ecstasy of his playing on all the PMG records. Of course this extends into the later work, but Pat’s composing on the first four or five Group albums really captured the fan-base’s imagination and loyalty--at least they did for me. -- His soundtrack composing: sublime.
franksexton Oct 10 2014 at 10:58 AM	I don’t know if you can use the words "The best" but the songs themsleves are just so good. I think Pat the composer doesn’t get enough kudo’s as Pat the peformer or Pat the bandleader might.
tiny_tim Jun 13 2014 at 12:55 AM	Yossarian, agree 200percent.
yossarian Jun 12 2014 at 7:32 AM	And after last night I’d have to say the album works pretty well live in concert!
hman01 Apr 03 2014 at 8:30 AM	I was up in the middle of the night,listening to KIN on headphones.I’ve been listening to it since it was released.But last night,I heard all kinds of sounds and counter melodies,I haven’t heard before.Either this recording is layered with all kinds of sounds,or I’m becoming schizophrenic.
patlockhart Mar 20 2014 at 11:10 AM	My first exposure to TWU was in concert years ago. The benefit of hearing this fresh before listening to the album was that I was able to focus on the music for the entire concert. I listen to TWU a few times a month to this day. Since then, I have always put off sampling anything new Pat is touring with until I can see it live first. Last night in Buffalo was my first listen to Unity Group and Kin. It was a stunning concert. I easily count this as the best of all the PM concerts I have attended in the last 20 or so years. He added some of the Orchestrion giving it a PMG-like feel without it being overwhelming. I lost count of the encores, it was uniquely done. Interesting to note that, with a few exceptions, the audience was completely attentive. There were no phones ringing, people wandering around, talking. It made for a memorable night. Their demand for more was intense. Pat and the group continued to play long after they had planned.
agamez77 Mar 19 2014 at 7:55 PM	Having read all the comments below, I have the same opinion as: "How is this possible? .... This is the greatest recording I’ve ever heard."
Gyuri Mar 08 2014 at 1:46 PM	Foper - I had a very similar experience with TWU - I even wanted to sell it after the first listen. Later I realised I had been in the wrong mood. When I listened to it for the second time a few weeks later I thought I heard a different record. It is another absolute fav of mine. Concerning KIN, at first I thought Lyle Mays should have done the piano part and listened to GC’s piano playing very critically and felt disappointed. And then I realised that PM simply did not write this album for LM’s style and sound. He had had something completely different on his mind (obviously he had been very much inspired by the sax, especially probably Chris Potter’s Mike Breckerish sound) and the piano is supposed to have a backing role, and GC is absolutely fantastic adding all those layers. His vocals are astounding. So I do not think LM should be missed, as his style is in an entirely different vein. This album was not meant to be written for the piano. Only when I realised this and got it out of my system did I really discover the amazing beauty of this record. I have had the CD for 12 days now and have probably heard it roughly 80 or 90 times - and I just can’t get enough of it. Just can’t get over it. PM has clearly entered into another realm of eternity (the overwhelming majority of his music gives me that sense of eternity anyway, but KIN is yet another leap further, higher, deeper or wherever). So much so that if my arm was twisted to make a ranking of all his records that I have (which I would hate to do as I love them all) I would put KIN first.
Gyuri Mar 08 2014 at 1:25 PM	Foper - I had a very similar experience with TWU - I even wanted to sell it after the first listen. Later I realised I was in the wrong mood. When I listened to it for the second time a few weeks later I thought I heard a different record. It is as another absolute fav of mine. Concerning KIN,
foper Mar 07 2014 at 8:36 AM	Gyuri… I was the same way about TWU. My first few listens of that release was sort of a ho-hum attitude. I put it away for a long time and didn’t pay it any mind. Then one day I got bored with a bunch of stuff I had been listening to and put TWU on and sat there wondering how I could have missed such extraordinary genius in that album. Then I put headphones on and heard so many things that I didn’t hear through speakers and was even more blown away. Since then I have been obsessed with it. What’s even stranger about that is now I listen to everything in a much more critical way. Not critical as in ‘critique’, but critical as in ‘listen completely’. Kin, in so many ways, has that same feel as TWU. Very complex time sigs, chord changes, overlapping modes and lines, layers and layers of sounds. I originally had a hard time with Pat’s darker, drier guitar sound; but it has grown on me in the sense that this is what Pat does. He seems to love changing things up with his guitar sound. Always makes you anxiously wait for what he might do next. And that’s the real beauty in his music; the unexpected. Although his core sounds is always there, you never know what to expect next.
dlichtenwalner Mar 04 2014 at 8:07 PM	I went to see the band in ATL just days after the album came out. I really wish I would have had more time to absorb it before the live show because I would have enjoyed it even more; if that is possible. I am a hardcore fan since 1979 and have seen literally every tour since then at least once each time, and a guitarist. I am really, really enjoying every single song on this album and I feel it encompasses all that he has done nostalgically much like TWU, but breaks new ground too. the way the orchestrion blends here is an evolution beyond the original orchestrion. Loving it.
yossarian Mar 04 2014 at 12:21 PM	Enjoying it hugely. Interesting sound for Potter... relatively dry, but I like it. Antonio is ridiculous on it. The tunes here are huge, expansive and very soulful. I’m a huge fan (as if that was ever in doubt).
Gyuri Mar 01 2014 at 11:46 AM	Got my copy of KIN from amazon on Monday this week and this is about for the 25th time, literally, that I am listening to it. Ridiculously enough, having been a PM/PMG fan for 31 years now, I have grossly overlooked so many subtleties on this album that I got to the point of forming an absolutely mistaken judgement about it. And I am so glad and relieved that by now I have at last overcome my first rushed misconception resulting from my superficiality. This is amazingly magnificent music and an unparalleled masterpiece opening a new dimension in the PM universe. I am speechless and in awe. We, PM fans, are purely blessed by the existence of such an amazing artist.
bxl12378 Feb 28 2014 at 1:06 PM	What a great cd it is! I bow my head. I will not ever again be blown away as I was back in the early eighties by AYGWM, my tune for the rest of my life or as I was by the genius opus TWU. But still, this is fantastic music. Enjoy!
radeem Feb 27 2014 at 4:43 PM	I’m diggin’ "We Go On" right now. The groove is infectious !!
sednaej Feb 27 2014 at 3:47 PM	Still growing. Best album (of any artist) since TWU!
mmorgan Feb 18 2014 at 2:24 PM	I’ve really been enjoying this album. Glad to here a group type context again. Have to agree with TWU comparisons and I also thought "Born" had bits of Beyond the Missouri Sky’s "Spiritual" tune...maybe it’s just the brush strokes. All in all I think this album will continue to grow for some time. Thanks Pat!
PeeWee Feb 15 2014 at 3:28 PM	Got mine from Amazon, which includes immediate .mp3 download. Truly "evolutionary," the genes are decidedly familiar. "First Circle" shades and Michael Brecker’s shadow seem to be there too. Thanks foper.
sednaej Feb 13 2014 at 1:59 PM	I have been listening to nothing else since my copy arrived more than a week ago. What KIN I say? Well, my expectations were quite high based on the samples I had heard. Listening to it over and over again, I am becoming increasingly fascinated by the enormously rich compositions. On the one hand, they contain many references to earlier work, and on the other hand there are so many new things to discover. This album is awesome! I’m also really looking forward to the gig in Vredenburg, Utrecht.
bxl12378 Feb 13 2014 at 1:25 AM	I’m getting jealous here. Preordered months ago, still waiting for the arrival!
Oystein Feb 11 2014 at 8:41 AM	Q: What`s the definition of an Eternity? A: The time spent waiting for my KIN sample to reach Northern Norway...
foper Feb 10 2014 at 8:49 AM	So I sat down and listened to this with headphones. Unlike any recording I’ve heard, for some reason Pat decided to create a mix with a more large room ambience than the normal effects-oriented sound. Rather than the sound bouncing around in a large, airy church-type environment, it’s more enclosed and confined; more dry and raw. I love that Pat finds these creative ways to change his sound. The ending of “On Day One” is beautiful. It has the same feel as the end of TWU. I need to listen to it a dozen more times – which I most definitely will.
foper Feb 08 2014 at 2:12 PM	Musically I think this compares to TWU. Contexually TWU is still tops. TWU tells a continuous story. But Kin has the complexities of TWU: rhythms, time changes, complex chords/keys, great vocals… I think the only thing I’m taken aback by is how dark Pat’s electric guitar is. His solos are almost background to the band. Where he has typically used very airy, soaring guitar sounds, his electric on Kin is more ‘roomed’. Not that I don’t like that. It’s sort of like what happened when ‘Still Life (Talking)’ came out, he made a radical change in his guitar sound… less chorus, and he plugged in and miced his electric in order to pick up his picking. That was an awesome sound. But on Kin his guitar sounds much darker and deeper. I’m still digesting it, but love most of what I hear. He never fails to surprise.
Willbur Feb 08 2014 at 11:24 AM	I received the CD in the mail Friday but I’m afraid to listen to it before the concert tomorrow. Since it’s only a couple days wait, I think I’ll hold off and be surprised by the music and then use the CD as a sort of remembrance of the show. Plus, it’s weird - and I’m sure other long-time Patheads feel the same but I’ve listened to and seen Pat for so long now, I can almost hear the music just by reading reviews of it’s scope and texture. I can sense how others have mentioned it’s a sort of culmination of almost everything Pat has done...I can almost feel it. Still, can’t wait, for both! And the Miami review isn’t helping...
Bikenjazz Feb 08 2014 at 9:14 AM	Echoing the sentiment I read.....................the pieces expand and transform and are full-bodied...............and contain so many musical elements.........thank you once again Mr. Metheny and your band that speaks the language of jazz so very well.............
jsjj21 Feb 07 2014 at 12:49 PM	I’m astounded as to how good this is!! Just the first track alone has so much information on it it’s insane! I’ve listened multiple times now and I can’t say enough!
hman01 Feb 07 2014 at 9:28 AM	This is incredible! What else can I say? There are many different genres of music.There’s jazz,classical,country,blues,rock,etc. But my favorite genre is METHENY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thehague Feb 07 2014 at 5:39 AM	It grows and grows and grows. An esteemed member here (the only astro-naut we have in da house) offered me a handkerchief. And indeed, I need it. This is so moving in some parts. Can’t get enough of it. Looking forward so much to the concert in Holland June 8th.
CATHY W Feb 06 2014 at 11:42 PM	Well....have to admit after seeing the YouTube video of the KIN...I was really excited to hear this album. Have to admit though, when I finally got to hear it all the way thru for the first time, I was a bit disappointed. While I think Chris is an amazing sax player....I was feeling like this was just a bit too much sax playing for me...and why wasn’t there more piano?-----but I continued to listen. Facts are this is alot to take in...and after a couple of listens I could finally digest this amazing work of art! I "got" it...! And I came to realize why Pat used that instrument in particular, it is the perfect instrument to really evoke the emotion that was needed to tell "the story"... Wow! and what emotion this album conveys....from celebratory to elation, to reflective.....and more! And the musicians that are able to execute all this are truly amazing, I have the utmost respect for what they are able to accomplish. Pat is always moving forward challenging himself....isn’t that growth?....and I am grateful for that challenging attitude that we get to benefit from. Bravo gentleman....well done!
eric Feb 06 2014 at 12:12 PM	How can music like this even exist? Throwing all caution to the wind, I want to say this is the greatest recording I’ve ever heard. Thank you Pat and band.
bluepno Feb 06 2014 at 8:21 AM	An excellent addition to a tremendous body of work. Congratulations on releasing beauty and intelligence in an art form that should receive wider listening opportunities. Releasing 1/2 of the tracks on Spotify will allow me to point 100’s of young folk in the right direction.
Tom Rudd Feb 06 2014 at 6:34 AM	Artistically and Musically an amazing CD. Love every track. Pat’s compositional skills are spellbinding. Great to see Chris Potter letting loose. His solo on the first track just blows me away. Giulio seems to have fit in beautifully. But as one poster said, I to would of liked to hear more keyboards, or at least one key board solo. All in all another incredible CD by the Master Pat Metheny
eric Feb 05 2014 at 8:00 PM	Everybody here knows what an event a new Pat record is - really exciting for me even after more than 34 years of live shows and listening - it is such a gift to have new recordings. I can’t get past the first track, maybe I should say "I don’t WANT to get past the first track" it is so complex and beautiful. The writing, the performance and the sound of it - the sound feels very open. Lots of air, how I’d describe it. Pat’s guitar sounds on this track, using lower tones lower notes is almost startling. Antonio’s drum and cymbal sounds are really fresh too - more dry sounding drums and so much air in those cymbals! Thanks very much Pat and band (and team) . See you on tour!
yossarian Feb 05 2014 at 2:31 PM	Haven’t got it yet (I’m savouring the expectation) but since Speaking of Now I feel that Pat’s music has not been so much a new direction but a beautiful culmination of what has gone before. Certainly the Way Up still leaves me speechless. I don’t play it so much because in a way it’s too heavy for me, yep, almost too good. I’m thinking Kin is going to be pretty major for me too.
marshall Feb 05 2014 at 2:19 PM	Love it. "Born" really brings me back to "Spiritual" off of Pat & Charlie Haden
mugsy Feb 05 2014 at 1:01 PM	I totally agree with what has been posted thus far. I especially agree with eysikal in that this is a very complex album. It really brings together Pat’s career to date. I hear First Circle; SL(T); TWU; as well as some of Pat’s earlier work (for instance, Bright Size Life era) all wrapped up in a beautiful and intense package. Antonio keeps amazing me - his playing gets deeper and richer with every recording, and Potter’s playing is just off the charts on this one. I don’t have a favorite track yet -but love the title song; Born and KQU. As others have said, I need to listen to this a few (hundred) more times to really let it soak in. I haven’t been this excited about a new PM CD since The Way Up!
jsjj21 Feb 05 2014 at 10:33 AM	I would second the opinion of this one being the best since TWU! Not that I didn’t enjoy the last few releases...I did, but not like this. It sounds so good it’s hard to believe! "We Go On" certainly has that classic Metheny Group sound. Born is amazingly beautiful!! The whole damn thing is incredible!
thehague Feb 05 2014 at 5:23 AM	Like any really good PM album (which I definitely missed last year) this is overwhelmingly beautiful beyond words. Almost a sequel to TWU in places. Lots of Reich influences. Well, lots of Metheny influences for that matter :-). I’m shedding a tear: I was losing faith, but Pat is still hauntingly beautiful. I’m a happy camper (nevertheless I do miss Lyle and Steve -as a player- a bit). Btw hope you are all doing well.
Kooltrane Feb 05 2014 at 4:15 AM	Best PM recording since "The Way Up" IMHO. Potter has really pushed the envelope for everybody.
eysikal Feb 05 2014 at 2:27 AM	This one is going to take a while to absorb...It’s deep. It pulls from everywhere - all phases of Pat’s career. The symbolism of the collage on the front is very appropriate. Lots of visual imagery while listening to this one with eyes closed on good headphones. It’s too early to say, but this is feeling like a masterpiece.
HAMBONE Feb 04 2014 at 9:42 PM	First impressions...Sign of the Season and Kin jump out to me as instant Metheny classics. The band seems to have grown together and play fantastic together.Especially Potter, who has risen to the top in the modern-day reed player category . The addition of Giulio is felt in every song. Sanchez continues to flex his muscles in every project he is in. And Pat"s writing and playing draws from everything he has done to date. I sense some historic live performances on the horizon.
mountain Feb 04 2014 at 4:06 PM	Pre-ordered Kin (hope it is in the mail box when I get home) and also downloaded the iTunes offering last night (cause I am impatient). Went through it once and I am struggling with myself because it is the first Pat release I did not take to instantly. I am left disappointed at the end. Not to say the material is not well played and crafted. But it is not what my mind’s eye expected or hoped for. Unfair? Sure. The bar is set very high for Pat. I will no doubt exert the effort to play through it multiple times and find the gems in Kin. I hope to catch this group live where i expect some of the tunes that did not take with me might actually groove. At any rate, its great to have some new Metheny to explore.
saxond Feb 04 2014 at 2:59 PM	Also still getting to know it. I’ve learned to give a new Metheny album time to reveal its secrets. It was a delight to get up today and see the digital version waiting for me on the Amazon cloud, since I had pre-ordered. The disc hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ve been listening to the full album via Amazon Cloud Player via Roku on my home system. I love what I’ve heard, and believe it opens and closes particularly strong, with never a disappointing moment. It’s very energetic, with a lot of blowing between the principles simultaneously. I might wish there were more keyboards, but that’s just me. The engine that drives it all is Pat’s songwriting, and these are powerful new compositions from him, delivered by masters who are still getting to know one another.
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franksexton
Oct 17 2014
at 10:52 AM

thanks for replying, naut. Sometimes I feel like I’m just having a conversation with myself on this site. When the Unity Band was first formed I thought they should be something like a Micheal Brecker tribute band. I did see that they have perfomed some of the songs that Pat used to do with Miike in concert. On this album though Pat defines his own direction like he always has. In the title track my favorite part is when Chris and Ben trade off rifs back and forth. I think that Ben really shows off his musicianship on KIN much more than he did on the first album. Think where may be a live Unity album in the near future ?

patsfan
Oct 16 2014
at 11:37 PM

Naut, you couldn’t have expressed it better !!! I try to be impartial and lsample as much jazz as I can, but it always comes back to my intense preference for Pat’s composing .. and of course playing ....the breath of style, sound, mood, rhythm , etc etc is amazing and so refreshing . I listen to Pat’s music every day, I’m addicted for life.

naut
Oct 15 2014
at 11:50 PM

Pat’s composing has ALWAYS been tops for me: the sound, the swing, the optimism, the ecstasy of his playing on all the PMG records. Of course this extends into the later work, but Pat’s composing on the first four or five Group albums really captured the fan-base’s imagination and loyalty--at least they did for me. -- His soundtrack composing: sublime.

franksexton
Oct 10 2014
at 10:58 AM

I don’t know if you can use the words "The best" but the songs themsleves are just so good. I think Pat the composer doesn’t get enough kudo’s as Pat the peformer or Pat the bandleader might.

tiny_tim
Jun 13 2014
at 12:55 AM

Yossarian, agree 200percent.

yossarian
Jun 12 2014
at 7:32 AM

And after last night I’d have to say the album works pretty well live in concert!

hman01
Apr 03 2014
at 8:30 AM

I was up in the middle of the night,listening to KIN on headphones.I’ve been listening to it since it was released.But last night,I heard all kinds of sounds and counter melodies,I haven’t heard before.Either this recording is layered with all kinds of sounds,or I’m becoming schizophrenic.

patlockhart
Mar 20 2014
at 11:10 AM

My first exposure to TWU was in concert years ago. The benefit of hearing this fresh before listening to the album was that I was able to focus on the music for the entire concert. I listen to TWU a few times a month to this day. Since then, I have always put off sampling anything new Pat is touring with until I can see it live first. Last night in Buffalo was my first listen to Unity Group and Kin. It was a stunning concert. I easily count this as the best of all the PM concerts I have attended in the last 20 or so years. He added some of the Orchestrion giving it a PMG-like feel without it being overwhelming. I lost count of the encores, it was uniquely done. Interesting to note that, with a few exceptions, the audience was completely attentive. There were no phones ringing, people wandering around, talking. It made for a memorable night. Their demand for more was intense. Pat and the group continued to play long after they had planned.

agamez77
Mar 19 2014
at 7:55 PM

Having read all the comments below, I have the same opinion as: "How is this possible? .... This is the greatest recording I’ve ever heard."

Gyuri
Mar 08 2014
at 1:46 PM

Foper - I had a very similar experience with TWU - I even wanted to sell it after the first listen. Later I realised I had been in the wrong mood. When I listened to it for the second time a few weeks later I thought I heard a different record. It is another absolute fav of mine. Concerning KIN, at first I thought Lyle Mays should have done the piano part and listened to GC’s piano playing very critically and felt disappointed. And then I realised that PM simply did not write this album for LM’s style and sound. He had had something completely different on his mind (obviously he had been very much inspired by the sax, especially probably Chris Potter’s Mike Breckerish sound) and the piano is supposed to have a backing role, and GC is absolutely fantastic adding all those layers. His vocals are astounding. So I do not think LM should be missed, as his style is in an entirely different vein. This album was not meant to be written for the piano. Only when I realised this and got it out of my system did I really discover the amazing beauty of this record. I have had the CD for 12 days now and have probably heard it roughly 80 or 90 times - and I just can’t get enough of it. Just can’t get over it. PM has clearly entered into another realm of eternity (the overwhelming majority of his music gives me that sense of eternity anyway, but KIN is yet another leap further, higher, deeper or wherever). So much so that if my arm was twisted to make a ranking of all his records that I have (which I would hate to do as I love them all) I would put KIN first.

Gyuri
Mar 08 2014
at 1:25 PM

Foper - I had a very similar experience with TWU - I even wanted to sell it after the first listen. Later I realised I was in the wrong mood. When I listened to it for the second time a few weeks later I thought I heard a different record. It is as another absolute fav of mine. Concerning KIN,

foper
Mar 07 2014
at 8:36 AM

Gyuri… I was the same way about TWU. My first few listens of that release was sort of a ho-hum attitude. I put it away for a long time and didn’t pay it any mind. Then one day I got bored with a bunch of stuff I had been listening to and put TWU on and sat there wondering how I could have missed such extraordinary genius in that album. Then I put headphones on and heard so many things that I didn’t hear through speakers and was even more blown away. Since then I have been obsessed with it. What’s even stranger about that is now I listen to everything in a much more critical way. Not critical as in ‘critique’, but critical as in ‘listen completely’. Kin, in so many ways, has that same feel as TWU. Very complex time sigs, chord changes, overlapping modes and lines, layers and layers of sounds. I originally had a hard time with Pat’s darker, drier guitar sound; but it has grown on me in the sense that this is what Pat does. He seems to love changing things up with his guitar sound. Always makes you anxiously wait for what he might do next. And that’s the real beauty in his music; the unexpected. Although his core sounds is always there, you never know what to expect next.

dlichtenwalner
Mar 04 2014
at 8:07 PM

I went to see the band in ATL just days after the album came out. I really wish I would have had more time to absorb it before the live show because I would have enjoyed it even more; if that is possible. I am a hardcore fan since 1979 and have seen literally every tour since then at least once each time, and a guitarist. I am really, really enjoying every single song on this album and I feel it encompasses all that he has done nostalgically much like TWU, but breaks new ground too. the way the orchestrion blends here is an evolution beyond the original orchestrion. Loving it.

yossarian
Mar 04 2014
at 12:21 PM

Enjoying it hugely. Interesting sound for Potter... relatively dry, but I like it. Antonio is ridiculous on it. The tunes here are huge, expansive and very soulful. I’m a huge fan (as if that was ever in doubt).

Gyuri
Mar 01 2014
at 11:46 AM

Got my copy of KIN from amazon on Monday this week and this is about for the 25th time, literally, that I am listening to it. Ridiculously enough, having been a PM/PMG fan for 31 years now, I have grossly overlooked so many subtleties on this album that I got to the point of forming an absolutely mistaken judgement about it. And I am so glad and relieved that by now I have at last overcome my first rushed misconception resulting from my superficiality. This is amazingly magnificent music and an unparalleled masterpiece opening a new dimension in the PM universe. I am speechless and in awe. We, PM fans, are purely blessed by the existence of such an amazing artist.

bxl12378
Feb 28 2014
at 1:06 PM

What a great cd it is! I bow my head. I will not ever again be blown away as I was back in the early eighties by AYGWM, my tune for the rest of my life or as I was by the genius opus TWU. But still, this is fantastic music. Enjoy!

radeem
Feb 27 2014
at 4:43 PM

I’m diggin’ "We Go On" right now. The groove is infectious !!

sednaej
Feb 27 2014
at 3:47 PM

Still growing. Best album (of any artist) since TWU!

mmorgan
Feb 18 2014
at 2:24 PM

I’ve really been enjoying this album. Glad to here a group type context again. Have to agree with TWU comparisons and I also thought "Born" had bits of Beyond the Missouri Sky’s "Spiritual" tune...maybe it’s just the brush strokes. All in all I think this album will continue to grow for some time. Thanks Pat!

PeeWee
Feb 15 2014
at 3:28 PM

Got mine from Amazon, which includes immediate .mp3 download. Truly "evolutionary," the genes are decidedly familiar. "First Circle" shades and Michael Brecker’s shadow seem to be there too. Thanks foper.

sednaej
Feb 13 2014
at 1:59 PM

I have been listening to nothing else since my copy arrived more than a week ago. What KIN I say? Well, my expectations were quite high based on the samples I had heard. Listening to it over and over again, I am becoming increasingly fascinated by the enormously rich compositions. On the one hand, they contain many references to earlier work, and on the other hand there are so many new things to discover. This album is awesome! I’m also really looking forward to the gig in Vredenburg, Utrecht.

bxl12378
Feb 13 2014
at 1:25 AM

I’m getting jealous here. Preordered months ago, still waiting for the arrival!

Oystein
Feb 11 2014
at 8:41 AM

Q: What`s the definition of an Eternity? A: The time spent waiting for my KIN sample to reach Northern Norway...

foper
Feb 10 2014
at 8:49 AM

So I sat down and listened to this with headphones. Unlike any recording I’ve heard, for some reason Pat decided to create a mix with a more large room ambience than the normal effects-oriented sound. Rather than the sound bouncing around in a large, airy church-type environment, it’s more enclosed and confined; more dry and raw. I love that Pat finds these creative ways to change his sound. The ending of “On Day One” is beautiful. It has the same feel as the end of TWU. I need to listen to it a dozen more times – which I most definitely will.

foper
Feb 08 2014
at 2:12 PM

Musically I think this compares to TWU. Contexually TWU is still tops. TWU tells a continuous story. But Kin has the complexities of TWU: rhythms, time changes, complex chords/keys, great vocals… I think the only thing I’m taken aback by is how dark Pat’s electric guitar is. His solos are almost background to the band. Where he has typically used very airy, soaring guitar sounds, his electric on Kin is more ‘roomed’. Not that I don’t like that. It’s sort of like what happened when ‘Still Life (Talking)’ came out, he made a radical change in his guitar sound… less chorus, and he plugged in and miced his electric in order to pick up his picking. That was an awesome sound. But on Kin his guitar sounds much darker and deeper. I’m still digesting it, but love most of what I hear. He never fails to surprise.

Willbur
Feb 08 2014
at 11:24 AM

I received the CD in the mail Friday but I’m afraid to listen to it before the concert tomorrow. Since it’s only a couple days wait, I think I’ll hold off and be surprised by the music and then use the CD as a sort of remembrance of the show. Plus, it’s weird - and I’m sure other long-time Patheads feel the same but I’ve listened to and seen Pat for so long now, I can almost hear the music just by reading reviews of it’s scope and texture. I can sense how others have mentioned it’s a sort of culmination of almost everything Pat has done...I can almost feel it. Still, can’t wait, for both! And the Miami review isn’t helping...

Bikenjazz
Feb 08 2014
at 9:14 AM

Echoing the sentiment I read.....................the pieces expand and transform and are full-bodied...............and contain so many musical elements.........thank you once again Mr. Metheny and your band that speaks the language of jazz so very well.............

jsjj21
Feb 07 2014
at 12:49 PM

I’m astounded as to how good this is!! Just the first track alone has so much information on it it’s insane! I’ve listened multiple times now and I can’t say enough!

hman01
Feb 07 2014
at 9:28 AM

This is incredible! What else can I say? There are many different genres of music.There’s jazz,classical,country,blues,rock,etc. But my favorite genre is METHENY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thehague
Feb 07 2014
at 5:39 AM

It grows and grows and grows. An esteemed member here (the only astro-naut we have in da house) offered me a handkerchief. And indeed, I need it. This is so moving in some parts. Can’t get enough of it. Looking forward so much to the concert in Holland June 8th.

CATHY W
Feb 06 2014
at 11:42 PM

Well....have to admit after seeing the YouTube video of the KIN...I was really excited to hear this album. Have to admit though, when I finally got to hear it all the way thru for the first time, I was a bit disappointed. While I think Chris is an amazing sax player....I was feeling like this was just a bit too much sax playing for me...and why wasn’t there more piano?-----but I continued to listen. Facts are this is alot to take in...and after a couple of listens I could finally digest this amazing work of art! I "got" it...! And I came to realize why Pat used that instrument in particular, it is the perfect instrument to really evoke the emotion that was needed to tell "the story"... Wow! and what emotion this album conveys....from celebratory to elation, to reflective.....and more! And the musicians that are able to execute all this are truly amazing, I have the utmost respect for what they are able to accomplish. Pat is always moving forward challenging himself....isn’t that growth?....and I am grateful for that challenging attitude that we get to benefit from. Bravo gentleman....well done!

eric
Feb 06 2014
at 12:12 PM

How can music like this even exist? Throwing all caution to the wind, I want to say this is the greatest recording I’ve ever heard. Thank you Pat and band.

bluepno
Feb 06 2014
at 8:21 AM

An excellent addition to a tremendous body of work. Congratulations on releasing beauty and intelligence in an art form that should receive wider listening opportunities. Releasing 1/2 of the tracks on Spotify will allow me to point 100’s of young folk in the right direction.

Tom Rudd
Feb 06 2014
at 6:34 AM

Artistically and Musically an amazing CD. Love every track. Pat’s compositional skills are spellbinding. Great to see Chris Potter letting loose. His solo on the first track just blows me away. Giulio seems to have fit in beautifully. But as one poster said, I to would of liked to hear more keyboards, or at least one key board solo. All in all another incredible CD by the Master Pat Metheny

eric
Feb 05 2014
at 8:00 PM

Everybody here knows what an event a new Pat record is - really exciting for me even after more than 34 years of live shows and listening - it is such a gift to have new recordings. I can’t get past the first track, maybe I should say "I don’t WANT to get past the first track" it is so complex and beautiful. The writing, the performance and the sound of it - the sound feels very open. Lots of air, how I’d describe it. Pat’s guitar sounds on this track, using lower tones lower notes is almost startling. Antonio’s drum and cymbal sounds are really fresh too - more dry sounding drums and so much air in those cymbals! Thanks very much Pat and band (and team) . See you on tour!

yossarian
Feb 05 2014
at 2:31 PM

Haven’t got it yet (I’m savouring the expectation) but since Speaking of Now I feel that Pat’s music has not been so much a new direction but a beautiful culmination of what has gone before. Certainly the Way Up still leaves me speechless. I don’t play it so much because in a way it’s too heavy for me, yep, almost too good. I’m thinking Kin is going to be pretty major for me too.

marshall
Feb 05 2014
at 2:19 PM

Love it. "Born" really brings me back to "Spiritual" off of Pat & Charlie Haden

mugsy
Feb 05 2014
at 1:01 PM

I totally agree with what has been posted thus far. I especially agree with eysikal in that this is a very complex album. It really brings together Pat’s career to date. I hear First Circle; SL(T); TWU; as well as some of Pat’s earlier work (for instance, Bright Size Life era) all wrapped up in a beautiful and intense package. Antonio keeps amazing me - his playing gets deeper and richer with every recording, and Potter’s playing is just off the charts on this one. I don’t have a favorite track yet -but love the title song; Born and KQU. As others have said, I need to listen to this a few (hundred) more times to really let it soak in. I haven’t been this excited about a new PM CD since The Way Up!

jsjj21
Feb 05 2014
at 10:33 AM

I would second the opinion of this one being the best since TWU! Not that I didn’t enjoy the last few releases...I did, but not like this. It sounds so good it’s hard to believe! "We Go On" certainly has that classic Metheny Group sound. Born is amazingly beautiful!! The whole damn thing is incredible!

thehague
Feb 05 2014
at 5:23 AM

Like any really good PM album (which I definitely missed last year) this is overwhelmingly beautiful beyond words. Almost a sequel to TWU in places. Lots of Reich influences. Well, lots of Metheny influences for that matter :-). I’m shedding a tear: I was losing faith, but Pat is still hauntingly beautiful. I’m a happy camper (nevertheless I do miss Lyle and Steve -as a player- a bit). Btw hope you are all doing well.

Kooltrane
Feb 05 2014
at 4:15 AM

Best PM recording since "The Way Up" IMHO. Potter has really pushed the envelope for everybody.

eysikal
Feb 05 2014
at 2:27 AM

This one is going to take a while to absorb...It’s deep. It pulls from everywhere - all phases of Pat’s career. The symbolism of the collage on the front is very appropriate. Lots of visual imagery while listening to this one with eyes closed on good headphones. It’s too early to say, but this is feeling like a masterpiece.

HAMBONE
Feb 04 2014
at 9:42 PM

First impressions...Sign of the Season and Kin jump out to me as instant Metheny classics. The band seems to have grown together and play fantastic together.Especially Potter, who has risen to the top in the modern-day reed player category . The addition of Giulio is felt in every song. Sanchez continues to flex his muscles in every project he is in. And Pat"s writing and playing draws from everything he has done to date. I sense some historic live performances on the horizon.

mountain
Feb 04 2014
at 4:06 PM

Pre-ordered Kin (hope it is in the mail box when I get home) and also downloaded the iTunes offering last night (cause I am impatient). Went through it once and I am struggling with myself because it is the first Pat release I did not take to instantly. I am left disappointed at the end. Not to say the material is not well played and crafted. But it is not what my mind’s eye expected or hoped for. Unfair? Sure. The bar is set very high for Pat. I will no doubt exert the effort to play through it multiple times and find the gems in Kin. I hope to catch this group live where i expect some of the tunes that did not take with me might actually groove. At any rate, its great to have some new Metheny to explore.

saxond
Feb 04 2014
at 2:59 PM

Also still getting to know it. I’ve learned to give a new Metheny album time to reveal its secrets. It was a delight to get up today and see the digital version waiting for me on the Amazon cloud, since I had pre-ordered. The disc hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ve been listening to the full album via Amazon Cloud Player via Roku on my home system. I love what I’ve heard, and believe it opens and closes particularly strong, with never a disappointing moment. It’s very energetic, with a lot of blowing between the principles simultaneously. I might wish there were more keyboards, but that’s just me. The engine that drives it all is Pat’s songwriting, and these are powerful new compositions from him, delivered by masters who are still getting to know one another.

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