Letter from Home (album)

Letter from Home is the sixth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1989 by Geffen Records. In 1990, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, and it was certified gold by the RIAA on July 23, 1998.^[2]

Letter from Home
Studio album by Pat Metheny Group
Released	June 29, 1989 (1989-06-29)
Recorded	Spring 1989
Studio	Power Station, New York City
Genre	Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Crossover jazz, Smooth jazz
Length	61:39
Label	Geffen
Producer	Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny chronology
Still Life (Talking) (1987) Letter from Home (1989) Question and Answer (1990)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

The album marked the return of Pedro Aznar, who became a member of the Group on the album First Circle. It also featured a reemphasis on increased instrumental diversity and was a commercial success, comfortably making the Top 200 album chart at Billboard magazine. "Slip Away" was, as Metheny put it, "extraordinarily successful, one of the most successful individual tunes that we've ever made." He said that it contains an ideal melodic durability. The song was heavily sampled by house music producer Nick Holder on his 2001 track Summer Daze.

Track listing

Side one:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Have You Heard"		6:25
2.	"Every Summer Night"		7:13
3.	"Better Days Ahead"		3:02
4.	"Spring Ain't Here"		6:55
5.	"45/8"	Metheny, Mays	0:56
6.	"5-5-7"	Metheny, Mays	7:54

All tracks are written by Pat Metheny except where noted.

Side two:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Beat 70"	Metheny, Mays	4:53
2.	"Dream of the Return"	Spanish lyrics by Pedro Aznar	5:25
3.	"Are We There Yet"	Mays	7:55
4.	"Vidala"	Pedro Aznar	3:04
5.	"Slip Away"		5:24
6.	"Letter from Home"		2:33

Personnel

• Pat Metheny – acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizer, 12-string guitar, soprano guitar, tiple, Synclavier
• Lyle Mays – piano, organ, accordion, trumpet, Synclavier
• Steve Rodby – acoustic and electric bass
• Paul Wertico – drums, caja, percussion
• Pedro Aznar – vocals, guitar, marimba, vibraphone, tenor saxophone, charango, melodica, pan pipe, percussion
• Armando Marçal – percussion

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[3]	81
US Billboard 200[4]	66
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[5]	1

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Category
1990	Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance