Speaking of Now
 | This article needs more citations. (February 2025) |
| Speaking of Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 12, 2002 | |||
| Studios | Right Track, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 72:05 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producers | Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| All About Jazz | (favorable) [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Speaking of Now is the tenth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 2002 by Warner Bros. The band was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for the album in 2003.
Speaking of Now marks the first appearances of drummer Antonio Sánchez and multi-instrumentalist Cuong Vu as members of Metheny's band. Cameroonian musician Richard Bona also participated in the album's recording and tour, the latter of which particularly showcased his abilities on vocals and bass guitar.
In 2003, as part of the album's promotion, a concert was recorded in Japan and released on DVD and the Group performed on the PBS series Austin City Limits.
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "As It Is" | 7:42 | |
| 2. | "Proof" | 10:18 | |
| 3. | "Another Life" | Metheny | 7:13 |
| 4. | "The Gathering Sky" | 9:27 | |
| 5. | "You" (song ends at 8:25; hidden intro to "On Her Way" directly follows) | Metheny | 8:57 |
| 6. | "On Her Way" | 5:42 | |
| 7. | "A Place in the World" | 9:54 | |
| 8. | "Afternoon" | Metheny | 4:46 |
| 9. | "Wherever You Go" | 8:04 | |
| Total length: | 72:05 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Epilogue" (Japanese bonus track) | Metheny | 4:07 |
| Total length: | 76:35 | ||
On the Japanese pressing, an extra 30 seconds of silence is added at the end of "Wherever You Go" to create a longer gap before the bonus track "Epilogue".
Personnel
[edit]- Pat Metheny – acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizer
- Lyle Mays – piano, keyboards
- Steve Rodby – double bass, cello
- Richard Bona – vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar, fretless bass
- Cuong Vu – trumpet, vocals
- Antonio Sánchez – drums
Additional musicians
- Dave Samuels – percussion, marimba
Technical staff
[edit]- Pat Metheny – producer
- Steve Rodby, Lyle Mays – co-producer
- Rob Eaton – recording, mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Doyle Partners – artwork, design
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[4] | 72 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 24 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[6] | 32 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[7] | 9 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] | 45 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[9] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 51 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[11] | 134 |
| UK Jazz & Blues Albums (Official Charts)[12] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 101 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[14] | 1 |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[15] | 2 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV)[16] | Platinum | 20,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
[edit]| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album |
References
[edit]- ↑ Tauss, Lucy. "Speaking of Now - Pat Metheny Group | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ Hovan, C. Andrew (February 1, 2002). "Pat Metheny Group: Speaking of Now". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 995. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Pat Metheny Group – Speaking of Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pat Metheny Group – Speaking of Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2002. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Pat Metheny Group – Speaking of Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Album on Oricon News". Oricon News. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Pat Metheny Group – Speaking of Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". UK Albums Chart. Zobbel.de. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Speaking of Now – Pat Metheny Group | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2002 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
