Bright Size Life is the debut album by Pat Metheny, recorded in December 1975 and released on ECM March the following year. The trio features rhythm section Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses.[1]
| Bright Size Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1976 | |||
| Recorded | December 1975 | |||
| Studio | Tonstudio Bauer Ludwigsburg, W. Germany | |||
| Genre | Jazz, Jazz fusion, Americana | |||
| Length | 37:06 | |||
| Label | ECM 1073 ST | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe songs for Bright Size Life were written when Metheny was living in Boston and teaching at the Berklee School of Music. Metheny's mentor, the vibraphonist Gary Burton, helped Metheny arrange the songs and accompanied him to the recording session in Germany. Despite that, Burton never received a producer credit on the release.[2]
Metheny has described the album as being "moderately successful" when it was released, selling around 900 copies, but that it wasn't until 10–15 years later that it received wider recognition.[3]
Reception and legacy
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [5] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [7] |
In 2005, the first track was included on the Progressions: 100 Years of Jazz Guitar compilation on Columbia Records.[8]
In 2011, the first track was included on the Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology compilation.[9] In August 2020, the album was included in the Jazzwise list of "100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World".[10]
In 2020, the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[11]
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Pat Metheny, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bright Size Life" | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Sirabhorn" | 5:29 |
| 3. | "Unity Village" | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Missouri Uncompromised" | 4:21 |
| Total length: | 18:15 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Midwestern Nights Dream" | 6:00 | |
| 6. | "Unquity Road" | 3:35 | |
| 7. | "Omaha Celebration" | 4:18 | |
| 8. | "Round Trip/Broadway Blues" | Ornette Coleman | 4:58 |
| Total length: | 18:51 37:06 | ||
Personnel
edit- Pat Metheny – 6-and 12-string electric guitar
- Jaco Pastorius – bass
- Bob Moses – drums
Charts
edit| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 28 |
References
edit- ^ "Bright Sized Life". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Burton, Gary (30 May 2019). "Gary Burton: Vibraphone Legend Talks Corea, Metheny and Berklee". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2019-11-30. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Metheny, Pat (8 July 2013). "Pat Metheny Looks Back at Bright Size Life". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2020-12-15. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Ginell, Richard S. (2011). "Bright Size Life – Pat Metheny | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 139. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 993. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ "Progressions: 100 Years of Jazz Guitar". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". jazzwise.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "National Recording Registry Adds 'Rhythm Nation' Among 25 New Selections". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-03-25.