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, and it was certified gold by the RIAA on July 23, 1998.[2]
| Letter from Home | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 29, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | Spring 1989 | |||
| Studio | Power Station, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Crossover jazz, Smooth jazz | |||
| Length | 61:39 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | Pat Metheny | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
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 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 song was heavily sampled by house music producer Nick Holder on his 2001 track Summer Daze.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Pat Metheny except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(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, Mays | 0:56 |
| 6. | "5-5-7" | Metheny, Mays | 7:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beat 70" | Metheny, Mays | 4:53 |
| 2. | "Dream of the Return" | Spanish lyrics by Pedro Aznar | 5:25 |
| 3. | "Are We There Yet" | Mays | 7:55 |
| 4. | "Vidala" | Pedro Aznar | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Slip Away" | 5:24 | |
| 6. | "Letter from Home" | 2:33 |
Personnel
edit- Pat Metheny – acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizer, 12-string guitar, soprano guitar, tiple, Synclavier
- Lyle Mays – piano, organ, accordion, trumpet, Synclavier
- Steve Rodby – acoustic and electric bass
- Paul Wertico – drums, caja, percussion
- Pedro Aznar – vocals, guitar, marimba, vibraphone, tenor saxophone, charango, melodica, pan pipe, percussion
- Armando Marçal – percussion
Technical staff
edit- Pat Metheny – producer
- Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby – co-producer
- David Sholemson – project coordinator
- Rob Eaton – recording
- Rob Eaton, Alexander Hass – mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Diamond Art Studio, Shed (8) – artwork, design
Charts
edit| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[3] | 81 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 66 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
Awards
edit| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ↑ Henderson, Alex (2011). "Letter from Home - Pat Metheny Group | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 6424". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Pat Metheny Group – Letter From Home". Recording Industry Association of America.
