SPEAKING OF NOW

As It Is
Proof
Another Life
The Gathering Sky
You
On Her Way
The Place in the World
Afternoon
Wherever You Go

PLAYERS: Pat Metheny (g), Lyle Mays (p, k), Steve Rodby (b), Antonio Sanchez (d), Cuong Vu (t, v), Richard Bona (perc, v)

REFLECTIONS

LYLE: [about "A Place In The World"]

Pay attention to structural elements such as orchestration, roles, time signature changes, form, modulations and momentum. Pat had written about 8 bars, and I wrote 3 minutes on that, arranging, orchestrating and composing variations and new material.

Note how the piano solo has completely new harmony. That's another way to develop material. Note how the backgrounds still invoke the earlier material. Note the orchestration change for the trumpet solo. Note how the synth bed helps build momentum without anything getting louder; The orchestration under the trumpet solo just gets thicker and steadier as a starting point. It's a subtle, but important point.

Note the surprise of the short, strumming interlude and how that former accompaniment turns into foreground. Note how the full-throated vocals are saved to nearly the very end and signal the peak of the piece. Note the counterlines under that. Sure, nobody in the band plays french horn, but the orchestration demanded it, so I overdubbed it.

Note how the wind-down continues developing the material, invoking canons (an important idea from the early material).

ANTONIO SANCHEZ: It was my first time in the studio with the Group and I was pretty nervous but they all made me feel at home. I was amazed with their methodology in the recording process and Lyle was an intricate part of that machinery. He had a strong voice and personality but he always got his point across in a subtle and diplomatic way.

CUONG VU: Working-wise, Pat and Lyle did all of the writing together apart from the band and had the majority of it worked out and printed before we even got together in the studio. They and Steve Rodby then mapped out the overall strategies and logistics to the recording process/schedule.