Imaginary Day is the ninth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was strongly inspired by world music from Iran and Indonesia, and won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. The song "The Roots of Coincidence" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance; critic Richard Ginnell of AllMusic described the song as a dramatic departure for the group: "[an] out-and-out rock piece with thrash metal and techno-pop episodes joined by abrupt jump cuts."
| Imaginary Day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 7, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Spring 1997 | |||
| Studio | Right Track, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 63:49 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
The album cover design by Stefan Sagmeister uses a simple pictographic substitution cipher for the name of the group and the title of the album.
Official DVD recorded live at the Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California, USA in July 1998, released in 2001.
This album was also made available on DVD-Audio 5.0 multichannel, surround sound.
History
editThis album marks the final appearance of longtime drummer Paul Wertico, who would leave in 2001 before the recording of Speaking of Now to work on other projects.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays except where noted:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Imaginary Day" | 10:11 | |
| 2. | "Follow Me" | 5:56 | |
| 3. | "Into the Dream" | Metheny | 2:27 |
| 4. | "A Story Within the Story" | 8:01 | |
| 5. | "The Heat of the Day" | 9:44 | |
| 6. | "Across the Sky" ("Across the Sky" lasts for 4:46; hidden intro for "The Roots of Coincidence" directly follows) | 5:13 | |
| 7. | "The Roots of Coincidence" | 7:48 | |
| 8. | "Too Soon Tomorrow" | Metheny | 5:45 |
| 9. | "The Awakening" | 9:28 |
Personnel
edit- Pat Metheny – acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizer, 42-string Pikasso guitar
- Lyle Mays – piano, keyboards
- Steve Rodby – acoustic and electric bass, cello
- Paul Wertico – drums
- David Blamires – vocals, electric guitar, baritone acoustic guitar, trumpet, mellophone, violin, recorder
- Mark Ledford – vocals, trumpet, bass trumpet, flugelhorn
- Dave Samuels – percussion
- Glen Velez – percussion
- Don Alias – percussion
- Mino Cinélu – percussion
Production
edit- Pat Metheny – producer
- Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby – co-producers
- David Oakes, Rob Eaton – associate producers
- Rob Eaton – recording, mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, NYC, USA
- Sagmaister inc. – design
- Latifa Azhar – photography
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV)[4] | Gold | 50,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
edit| Years | Winner | Title | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Pat Metheny Group | "Imaginary Day" | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album |
| 1999 | Pat Metheny Group | "The Roots of Coincidence" | Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ginell, Richard S. "Imaginary Day". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 995. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1998 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.