Imaginary Day is the ninth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was strongly inspired by world music from Iran and Indonesia, and won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. The song "The Roots of Coincidence" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance; critic Richard Ginnell of AllMusic described the song as a dramatic departure for the group: "[an] out-and-out rock piece with thrash metal and techno-pop episodes joined by abrupt jump cuts."

Imaginary Day
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 7, 1997 (1997-10-07)
RecordedSpring 1997
StudioRight Track, New York City
GenreJazz fusion
Length63:49
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby
Pat Metheny chronology
Beyond the Missouri Sky (Short Stories)
(1997)
Imaginary Day
(1997)
Like Minds
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]

The album cover design by Stefan Sagmeister uses a simple pictographic substitution cipher for the name of the group and the title of the album.

Official DVD recorded live at the Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California, USA in July 1998, released in 2001.

This album was also made available on DVD-Audio 5.0 multichannel, surround sound.

History

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This album marks the final appearance of longtime drummer Paul Wertico, who would leave in 2001 before the recording of Speaking of Now to work on other projects.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays except where noted:

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Imaginary Day" 10:11
2."Follow Me" 5:56
3."Into the Dream"Metheny2:27
4."A Story Within the Story" 8:01
5."The Heat of the Day" 9:44
6."Across the Sky" ("Across the Sky" lasts for 4:46; hidden intro for "The Roots of Coincidence" directly follows) 5:13
7."The Roots of Coincidence" 7:48
8."Too Soon Tomorrow"Metheny5:45
9."The Awakening" 9:28

Personnel

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Production

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  • Pat Metheny – producer
  • Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby – co-producers
  • David Oakes, Rob Eaton – associate producers
  • Rob Eaton – recording, mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, NYC, USA
  • Sagmaister inc. – design
  • Latifa Azhar – photography

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Poland (ZPAV)[4] Gold 50,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Awards

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Grammy Awards

Years Winner Title Category
1999 Pat Metheny Group "Imaginary Day" Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
1999 Pat Metheny Group "The Roots of Coincidence" Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ginell, Richard S. "Imaginary Day". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 995. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1998 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
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