Secret Story is among the more provocative recordings in Pat Metheny's oeuvre.
Combining the relaxed groove of the early Pat Metheny Group recordings, it is full of odd sounds, exotic instrumentation, and the participation of members of the London Orchestra conducted by Jeremy Lubbock.
Along with regular group members -- bassist Steve Rodby, drummer Paul Wertico, percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, pianist-keyboardist Lyle Mays -- numerous guests adorn these tracks as well: bassists Charlie Haden and Will Lee, percussionist Armando Marcal, vocalist Mark Ledford, jazz harmonica legend Toots Thielmans, Gil Goldstein, and Pat's brother Mike Metheny.
But what's most notable is that none of these players are constants, as this is most certainly a Metheny solo effort: Secret Story is his own song, so to speak.
His acoustic and electric guitars are augmented by synthesizers and samplers, and no matter how lush these proceedings get, they are never overwhelmed by production.
Metheny is one of the few jazz musicians working today who completely understands what technology is used for, and his production never overwhelms his compositions.
The entire disc comes off as a sort of interior travelogue, a heart's remembrance, a memento mori; it is one of the most emotionally expressive recordings in his career.
"Above the Treetops," the album's opener, which features Haden and the two percussionists, is so utterly exotic and poetic it feels like the opening number in a soundtrack (and perhaps that's what it is); it's based on a Cambodian hymn titled "Buong Buong." The sound of a children's choir singing the hymn is sampled into the synth lines that delicately open the track.
Percussion slips in and out sparingly, Haden's bass offers a heavily reverbed backbone for the structure of the tune, and Metheny's acoustic guitar and synthesizers cover the rest.
It is a reflective and meditative moment that contains a kind of dignified majesty that builds up to his beautiful nylon string solo, the bluesy and grooving "Cathedral in a Suitcase."
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Above the TreetopsPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Facing WestPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 06:05 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Cathedral in a SuitcasePat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Finding and BelievingPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 09:58 | 22 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | The Longest SummerPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 06:31 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | SunlightPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Rain RiverPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 07:09 | 16 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Always and ForeverPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | See the WorldPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | As a Flower Blossoms (I Am Running to You)Pat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 01:53 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | AntoniaPat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 06:11 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | The Truth Will Always BePat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 09:15 | 21 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Tell Her You Saw MePat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Not to Be Forgotten (Our Final Hour)Pat Metheny | Pat Metheny | Play | 02:22 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Back in Time | Pat Metheny Group | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Look Ahead (F Csus) | Pat Metheny Group | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Understanding | Pat Metheny Group | Play | 02:14 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | A Change in Circumstance | Pat Metheny Group | Play | 01:15 | 2 MB | 0 MB |
| 19 | Et Si C'etait La Fin (As If It Was the End) | Pat Metheny Group | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 92 mins | 212 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Bargeron | Trombone, Tuba |
| 2 | Haydn Bendall | Engineer |
| 3 | Steven Cantor | Associate Producer |
| 4 | Carolyn Chrzan | Production Assistant |
| 5 | John Clark | French Horn, Guest Artist |
| 6 | Rob Eaton | Engineer, Mixing |
| 7 | Steve Ferrone | Drums |
| 8 | Andy Findon | Flute |
| 9 | Dan Gellert | Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Mixing Assistant |
| 10 | Gil Goldstein | Accordion, Conductor, Piano, Transcription |
| 11 | Danny Gottlieb | Cymbals, Guest Artist |
| 12 | Charlie Haden | Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Guest Artist |
| 13 | Anthony Jackson | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 14 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 15 | Skaila Kanga | Harp |
| 16 | Ryan Kisor | Flugelhorn, Guest Artist, Trumpet |
| 17 | Mark Ledford | Vocals |
| 18 | Will Lee | Bass (Electric) |
| 19 | Richard Litt | Photography |
| 20 | Jeremy Lubbock | Arranger, Conductor |
| 21 | Tom "Bones" Malone | Trombone |
| 22 | Armando Marçal | Percussion |
| 23 | Lyle Mays | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 24 | Sammy Merendino | Drums |
| 25 | Mike Metheny | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 26 | Pat Metheny | Bass (Electric), Composer, Electronic Percussion, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Synthesizer), Keyboard Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Sitar (Electric), Synthesizer |
| 27 | Steve Morris | Editing Assistant |
| 28 | Michael Philip Mossman | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 29 | David Oakes | Assistant Producer, Mixing Assistant |
| 30 | Pinpeat Orchestra | Vocals |
| 31 | Tony Pipitone | Editing |
| 32 | Kevin Reagan | Art Direction, Design |
| 33 | Steve Rodby | Assistant Producer, Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric) |
| 34 | David Sholemson | Production Coordination |
| 35 | Robin Sloane | Creative Director |
| 36 | David Taylor | Trombone (Bass) |
| 37 | Toots Thielemans | Guest Artist, Harmonica |
| 38 | Mike Townend | Arranger |
| 39 | Naná Vasconcelos | Guest Artist, Percussion, Vocals |
| 40 | Paul Wertico | Drums |
| 41 | Todd Whitelock | Assistant Engineer |
| 42 | Cornelius Wildner | Editing Assistant |
| 43 | Gavyn Wright | Concert Master, Leader |
| 44 | Akiko Yano | Lyricist, Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |