Originally released in 2002 in Europe and Japan, Upojenie (Ecstasy) is a collaboration between Pat Metheny and superstar Polish vocalist Anna Maria Jopek.
It came into being after Jopek approached the guitarist at a jazz festival in Warsaw in 2001.
Her original idea was to perform some of her own work, some of Metheny's, and some Polish folk songs (exactly what happened).
The collaboration was recorded over four months in Poland; it is something wholly other than the sum of its parts might suggest.
Co-produced by composer Marcin Kydrynski (Jopek's husband) and Metheny, with Jopek and Pawel Bzim Zarecki, this set marries together the guitarist's signature meld of jazz, pop, and American forms with electronics, early folk melodies, classical melodies, and arrangements with exotic instrumentation and Jopek's otherworldly but gentle voice.
For Metheny fans, this is a unique opportunity on two fronts: to hear new versions of his own tunes with different arrangements, titles, and lyrics, as well as the opportunity to be introduced to an immense talent.
Now that the set has been released stateside, it becomes an opportunity for fans of contemporary jazz and sophisticated adult pop as well.
The set commences with the duet "Cicy Zapada Zmrok" (Here Comes the Silent Dusk), a traditional evening prayer sung by Jopek with Metheny on the 42-string Pikasso guitar.
It's skeletal, ethereal, and haunting, yet in Metheny's hands, the melody transcends its origin and becomes a song that could have been sung on the North American plains as well as in Eastern Europe.
Another duet, "Biel" (Whiteness), written by Kydrynski, features the singer buoyed by Metheny's classical and baritone guitars.
It feels spacious enough to have been recorded in a church, but its roots are in samba.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are You Going with Me?Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny | Anna Maria Jopek, Pat Metheny | Play | 08:35 | 19 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Letter from HomePat Metheny | Anna Maria Jopek, Pat Metheny | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Tam, Gdzie Niesiega Wzrok (Follow Me)Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny | Anna Maria Jopek, Pat Metheny | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | CichyZapada Zmrok (Here Comes the Silent Dusk) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Mania Mienia (So May It May Secretly Begin) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Biel (Whiteness) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Przyplyw, Odplyw, Oddech Czasu... (Tell Her You Saw Me) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Czarne Slowa (Black Words) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Lulajze Jezuniu (Polish Christmas Carol) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 05:13 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Upojenie (Ecstasy) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Zupelnie Inna Ja (Always and Forever) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Piosenka Dla Stasia (A Song for Stas) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Me Jedyne Niebo (Another Life) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | By on Byl Tu (Farmer's Trust) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Polskie Drogi (Polish Paths) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 02:25 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Na Calej Polaci Snieg (The Snow Falls All over the Place) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 01:47 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Szepty i Llzy (Whispers and Tears) | Pat Metheny, Anna Maria Jopek | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 72 mins | 166 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krzysztof Bzówka | Concert Master, Violin |
| 2 | Carolyn Chrzan | Assistant, Guitar Technician |
| 3 | Mino Cinelu | Congas, Crotale, Drums, Percussion, Shaker, Triangle, Udu |
| 4 | Robert Dabrowski | Violin |
| 5 | Ewa Dluzniewska | Studio Manager |
| 6 | Piotr Dumala | Artwork |
| 7 | Artur Gadzala | Violin |
| 8 | Jacek Gawlowski | Mastering |
| 9 | Robert Gniadek | Piano Tuner, Technician |
| 10 | Anna Maria Jopek | Arranger, Choir/Chorus, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Voices |
| 11 | Patrycja Jopek | Violin |
| 12 | Andrzej Karp | Mixing |
| 13 | Wojciech Kilar | Composer |
| 14 | Dariusz Kisielinski | Viola |
| 15 | Marcin Knobloch | Digital Transfers |
| 16 | Jozef Kolinek | Contractor, Violin |
| 17 | Cezary Konrad | Drums |
| 18 | Wojciech Kowalewski | Bells, Bongos, Claves, Crotale, Percussion, Shaker, Tambourine, Temple Blocks, Timpani, Vibraslap |
| 19 | Robert Kubiszyn | Double Bass |
| 20 | Andrzej Kurylewicz | Composer |
| 21 | Marcin Kydrynski | Arranger, Composer, Producer |
| 22 | Piotr Laskowski | Assistant Engineer |
| 23 | Wojciecj Lopaciuk | Engineer |
| 24 | Linda Manzer | Guitar Maker |
| 25 | Bernard Maseli | Vibraphone |
| 26 | Lyle Mays | Composer |
| 27 | Pat Metheny | Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Soprano), Guitar (Synthesizer), Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 28 | Tadeusz Mieczkowski | Engineer, Mastering, Mixing |
| 29 | Henryk Miskiewicz | Arranger, Sax (Soprano) |
| 30 | Leszek Możdżer | Arranger, Piano |
| 31 | Kasia Mrozewska | Design |
| 32 | Jerzy Muranty | Cello |
| 33 | Marek Napiorkowski | Guitar, Guitar (Classical) |
| 34 | Piotr Nazaruk | Flute, Hammer Dulcimer, Percussion, Recorder, Shaker, Vocals (Background), Voices |
| 35 | Janusz Olechowski | Cello |
| 36 | Darek Oleszkiewicz | Bass (Acoustic) |
| 37 | Matt Pierson | Sequencing |
| 38 | Andrzej Poniedzielski | Composer |
| 39 | Joanna Popowicz | Mixing |
| 40 | Jacek Poremba | Photography |
| 41 | Marcin Pospieszalski | Guitar (Bass), Loops, Programming |
| 42 | Izumi Shikibu | Inspiration, Poetry |
| 43 | Katarzyna Gilewska Zagrodzinska | Violin |
| 44 | Pawel Zarecki | Arranger, Engineer, Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Loops, Percussion, Producer, Programming |
| 45 | Jack Zorawski | A&R, Executive Producer |
| 46 | Wlodzimierz Zurawski | Viola |
| 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. |