Track Listing

1. Waltz For Ruth
2. Our Spanish Love Song
3. Message To A Friend
4. Two For The Road
5. First Song
6. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
7. Precious Jewel
8. He's Gone Away
9. The Moon Song
10. Tears Of Rain
11. Cinema Paradiso [Love Theme]
12. Cinema Paradiso [Main Theme]
13. Spiritual

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19323 in Music
• Released on: 1997-02-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 69 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This subtle, sublime collaboration finds bassist Charlie Haden and guitarist Pat Metheny crafting bejewelled chamber duets that transcend genre. With their shared Missouri lineage as a thematic touchstone, Haden and Metheny forge a lyrical, mostly acoustic style at once intimate and expansive. Both pare their playing to a Zen-like economy, focusing on a purity of tone, clarity of harmony, and counterpoint to achieve a tender lyricism.

Metheny's acoustic steel-string and classical guitars predominate, but he also applies discreet overdubs (including some delicate synthesizer and keyboard textures) to sculpt orchestral detail. Haden, as always, is both a generous foil and a deft melodist on his own, moving easily into his instrument's upper register as he twines through Metheny's lines. The set's emotional coherence is particularly satisfying in light of the material, which spans Ennio Morricone ("Cinema Paradiso"), Henry Mancini ("Two for the Road"), Jim Webb ("The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"), and Roy Acuff ("The Precious Jewel") as well as affecting originals by both leaders. And giving the project a sense of closure, while commenting obliquely on the generational dialogue it represents, is the luminous "Spiritual" (composed by Haden's son, Josh), an instrumental prayer that exemplifies the balance of concision and deep emotion at the heart of this exquisite triumph. --Sam Sutherland

CD Description
Metheny and Haden have a lot in common. They're two of the most respected musicians at the vanguard of contemporary jazz, and they've worked together in Metheny's own band as wellas with people like Ornette Coleman, Abbey Lincoln and Michael Brecker. They're both innovators who've blazed new trails on their respective axes. They're also both from small towns in Missouri, which is the underlying theme of this collaboration. Essentially an acoustic duet album, MISSOURI SKY finds these old friends joining together to paint an aural landscape that evokes the wide open spaces and heartland Americana of the place where they grew up.
The album mixes original tunes by Haden and Metheny with some carefully chosen outside material, including Jimmy Webb's "The Moon Is A HarshMistress" and Roy Acuff's "Precious Jewel". All the tunes on the album benefit from the precision and grace of Metheny's acoustic guitar and the thoughtful fluidity of Haden's bass.

Customer Reviews

Classic Metheny, but with a mood-setting feel...
Pat Metheny fans will love this album. While there's a classic Metheny feel, with songs that harken to his early days, the music goes much further with Hayden's sometimes dark and airy bass. This is "non-fusion" Metheny at his best.

For those is search of a great mood-setting evening with the woman in your life, light the fire and open a bottle of wine... enjoy.

immortal memory
I sat with brother, who was in hospital dying of oesophageal cancer, and we listened to this all the way through. He was understandably anxious and this relaxed him to the point that he fell asleep. He never did wake up but I know the the sheer quality of the musicianship and the subtle and relaxing overall feel of the album made his final hours much more bearable. I recommend it thoroughly as a wonderful example of non-fusion Metheny.

Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden - Beyond the Missouri Sky (Polydor
A must for every CD collection. For those unfamiliar with Metheny or who have only heard his Group's recordings, these 'short stories' show just how thoughtful a musician he is (if ever that were in doubt). The lyricism in his playing here is remarkable, complemented nicely by Haden (who is a decent composer in his own right.) The only weak track, in my opinion, is Tears of Rain, which is spoiled by an obnoxious sitar guitar. But this is a minor aberration: The rest is beautiful - warm, cavernous, and sensitively crafted. Warrants many listens.