Bob Gluck's Blog

Here is the second set of comments that have come in from musicians & scholars about my forthcoming book and about Pat Metheny. Mike Stern’s are drawn from a recent extended conversation I had with him. Jack DeJohnette articulated his in writing. Some segments will appear on the book jacket and others on the University of Chicago Press’s catalog webpage for this book. The process of reaching out and gathering these is one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing a book about musicians.

“We were all blown away when we first heard Pat play. His touch is so sweet and 
soulful and so lyrical. I love that vocal sound. I like to try to get that in myself as 
much as I can. Even at a really young age, you could already hear these qualities and his incredible vocabulary. His ability to hold onto his sensitivity and perfectionism all these years is a serious strength. As a guitar teacher, Pat was really supportive to me and to a lot of other players. It would be natural to write a book about someone 
quite as accomplished as Pat. I really dig his music, that’s for damn sure.” 
– Mike Stern, guitarist 

“One of the first recordings [by Pat] that got my attention was Bright Size Life, and I was impressed by his compositions and his improvising. It’s still one of my favorite recordings of his. It was my pleasure to put together a band with my all-time favorites Herbie Hancock and Dave Holland, Pat and I discussed it and he agreed to coproduce and be part of it. We also toured. Parallel Realities turned out to be an important historical recording that people still talk about. He’s a visionary innovator who is constantly challenging himself in the most creative ways… that’s what a great artist is supposed to do. Thank you Pat!” 
– Jack DeJohnette, drummer

~ by bobgluck on March 17, 2024.

Posted in Crafting the text, great musical thinkers, In the hands of readers, memories, metaphor, musical content, Pat Metheny, sources
Tags: bob gluck, book-review, books, jack dejohnette, jazz, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, patmetheny, reading, University of Chicago Press, universityofchicago