METHENY AND RODBY COMPLETE PRODUCTION OF NEW BRECKER

Pat and co-producer Steve Rodby just finished putting the final touches on Michael Brecker's latest album, an all-star event that includes Pat on guitars, Herbie Hancock on acoustic piano, Charlie Haden on acoustic bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. They are joined on two songs by special guest vocalist James Taylor! The record features all ballads of all stripes, including two Metheny compositions “Sometimes I See" and “Seven Days". Also on the record are versions of Hancock's classic “Chan's Song" from his Oscar winning soundtrack to the film “Round Midnight" and a version of Taylor's “Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight".

Says Metheny; “Mike and I have had such a great friendship over the years in addition to our close musical association. And in fact, that quality of strong personal associations was there between everyone on this session; there is an enormous amount of personal history - and love and respect - between all of us. Mike's idea was to get everyone together to focus on the more intimate aspects of what playing in a more quiet kind of a way as a quintet could manifest. Everyone knows that this lineup could 'burn', but Mike set up an interesting challenge by getting us all together to find a more reflective common ground than we may have ever focused on before in our previous encounters with each other. And of course, within the world of 'ballads' there is a huge range of expression possible. This record reminds me in many ways of the duet record that Charlie Haden and I did a few years ago in the sense that you can really dream with it, but at the same time, there is a lot of intriguing and high level musical information being exchanged among the musicians. All in all, this is one of those records that i think people will really live with; it seems to have that quality of making you want to hear it again and again."

The record should be out on the Verve record label in the early summer.