Letter from Home (album)

Last updated
Letter from Home
Letter from Home (cover).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 29, 1989 (1989-06-29)
RecordedSpring 1989
Studio Power Station, New York City
Genre Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Crossover jazz, Smooth jazz
Length61:39
Label Geffen
Producer Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny chronology
Still Life (Talking)
(1987)
Letter from Home
(1989)
Question and Answer
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

Letter from Home is the sixth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1989 by Geffen Records. In 1990, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. It was certified gold by the RIAA on July 23, 1998. [2]

Contents

The album marked the return of Pedro Aznar, who became a member of the Group on the album First Circle . It also featured a reemphasis on increased instrumental diversity and was a huge commercial success, comfortably making the Top 200 album chart at Billboard magazine. "Slip Away" was, as Metheny put it, "extraordinarily successful, one of the most successful individual tunes that we've ever made." He said that it contains an ideal melodic durability.

The track Slip Away was heavily sampled by house music producer Nick Holder on his 2001 track Summer Daze.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pat Metheny except where noted

Side one:
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Have You Heard" 6:25
2."Every Summer Night" 7:13
3."Better Days Ahead" 3:02
4."Spring Ain't Here" 6:55
5."45/8"Metheny, Mays0:56
6."5-5-7"Metheny, Mays7:54
Side two:
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beat 70"Metheny, Mays4:53
2."Dream of the Return"Spanish lyrics by Pedro Aznar 5:25
3."Are We There Yet"Mays7:55
4."Vidala"Pedro Aznar3:04
5."Slip Away" 5:24
6."Letter from Home" 2:33

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [3] 66
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard) [4] 1

Awards

Grammy Awards

YearCategory
1990 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance

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References

  1. Henderson, Alex (2011). "Letter from Home - Pat Metheny Group | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  3. "Pat Metheny Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  4. "Pat Metheny Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard.