Pat Metheny with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins - Rejoicing

Metheny joins bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins, one of Ornette Coleman's finest rhythm pairings, for this 1983 recording. Rejoicing looks closely at Coleman's group dynamics and three of his tunes (though it's Horace Silver's "Lonely Woman," not Coleman's, that opens the album). The three mesh perfectly on Coleman's "Tears Inside," "Humpty Dumpty," and "Rejoicing," with Metheny generating long lines of melody over sprung rhythms. While the guitarist often shifts musical direction from CD to CD, his compositions on Rejoicing offer remarkable contrasts. He creates a rich overdub of electric and acoustic guitars for the ballad "Story from a Stranger," then generates an almost Albert Ayler-like sound for the intensely electric dirge "The Calling," the mood enhanced by Haden's bowed bass and animated by Higgins's free drumming. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Why, Pat, Why?

Oddly, they used to say Ornette's music was just noise. Yet, if you listen now, it's positively conservative. This CD pits two of Coleman's alums with Metheny for a program on which a Horace Silver composition is the best track. But Pat couldn't seem to resist ruining what is otherwise a great record with his 9-minute noise experiment, "The Calling." This is a pretty short CD at about 44 mins, so 9 of them are a waste. I'm betting he would never put this on a CD like this today. It disrupts the flow. Maybe we'll be saying this sounds conservative someday, too. But I doubt it. September 28, 2007

Perfect trio!

This 1984 ECM recording is, to me, is a perfect example of how the guitar/bass/drum trio should work. Produced by Manfred Eicher, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins' rhythm section is both solid and solidly behind Pat Metheny's guitar playing.

When I bought it a few years back, after a couple of listens, I was struck by how I responded to Metheny's different forms of guitar work. My response to his acoustic playing was purely emotional, whilst my response to his electric playing was intellectual. I still haven't figured out why that is. Needless to say, I enjoy both immensely, just differently and on "Story From A Stranger", he adds in a dose of his guitar synth. It doesn't work for me everywhere he uses it but this is one of the places it works very well indeed.

The CD seems to be some kind of homage; three of the eight songs are by Ornette Coleman and the opener is by Horace Silver. Charlie Haden writes one, Pat Metheny writes two and the final tune is written by both Haden and Metheny.

I like all the songs. Well, almost. I've tried hard but I just don't get "The Calling". I guess it's one of those songs that is said to be for a 'specialist' audience. I usually just press the fast forward button - the only Pat Metheny song ever, to make me do that.

Nevertheless, I still consider it a five star CD. I think it's absolutely brilliant.
May 5, 2007

Don't come "Calling".

I was really enjoying this album. I really was. Reading a magazine, clouds moving in, breezes in the palms...then came "The Calling". I admit I'm not a dissonance aficionado, but this ripped me from my revery. A live, real time evisceration. I would, I'm sure, enjoy as much following along behind the neighborhood trash truck Wednesday mornings for 10 minutes. I'm going to have to Ipod this album, because the rest of the musical text is great. One reviewer has suggested the number might be an acquired taste, I'll try! I gave the album a 4, because one song shouldn't jade what is otherwise a fine Metheny example. BTW, I love As Falls Wichita..., and to a lesser extent, "Silent Story". August 28, 2005

A Classic Metheny Trio!!!

1984's "Rejoicing" finds guitar great Pat Metheny teaming up with two of his musical heroes, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins (both of whom had played with legendary saxman Ornette Coleman). Together, this trio has created a standout classic that not only shows Metheny in his then-current prime but also points to what laid ahead for him musically.
The "Rejoicing" can be easily divided into two distinct halves. The first five tracks make up the straight-forward Jazz half. Metheny's interpretations of the three Ornette Coleman tunes (Humpty Dumpty, Tears Inside and the title track) are on the same par as the originals and show off amazing versitility from all three players. The opening cover of Horace Silver's "Lonely Woman" (not the same composition as Ornette's classic) is a rare piece of beauty with the goregous melody reinterpreted on acoustic guitar. Charlie Haden's original "Blues For Pat" is just that - a stellar blues piece in which Metheny really shines. Haden also delivers a muscular bass solo in this piece.
The remaining three pieces form the experimental half of the album. "Story From A Stranger" isn't too far removed from a Pat Metheny Group composition as it features a folk-like acoustic guitar melody and a horn-like lead-line played on the Roland guitar-synth. "The Calling" is a 10-minute free-form piece in which Pat showcases a near-dissonant melody from his guitar-synth while Haden compilments with haunting bowed bass drones and Higgins provides free fills across his drum kit. Halfway into the piece, it switches gears as Pat moves from the guitar-synth to distorted jagged electric guitar stabs. The overall style of this piece isn't too far removed from what he would accomplish on "Song X", his acclaimed collaboration with Ornette Coleman which was to come less than two years later. There is also a slight hint of '80s King Crimson heard in this piece. "The Calling" leads almost directly into the album's closing piece "Waiting For An Answer", a 2-minute atmospheric coda consisting of a low-drone from Haden and echoed guitar harmonics from Metheny.
Even after its release over 20 years ago, "Rejoicing" remains one of Pat Metheny's finest albums. Pat's work in a stripped-down setting gives plenty of room for improvisation and exploration. This album is no exception. The musicianship between Pat, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins is remarkable on every track. This is definitely a must. July 8, 2005

Metheny moves closer to Coleman

With Coleman's original "rhythm section" Metheny tackles 3 Coleman tunes, Silver's "Lonely Woman" (oh, i wish it were Coleman's) and a group of originals including the long sound exploration "The Calling" which features Metheny's Guitar synth. As a huge fan of the avant garde, it pains me to say that this cut is the weakest on the album, though still quite interesting. If you like this one, look into Song X. January 31, 2001

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