Rolling Stone (p.59) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Metheny thrives in a trio format -- the space suits his spiraling runs and the after-ring in his pointed electric sound -- and he responds here with excited improvising in the hypersamba 'Son of Thirteen' and the vintage-Wes Montgomery stroll of 'Calvin's Keys.'"
Down Beat (p.82) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he inventiveness of the playing flows....[His] economical solos weave through the changes, spare on effect but rich in substance and imaginative in their contour."
Q (Magazine) (p.104) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Is This America? (Katrina 2005)' is a particularly beautiful and atmospheric reflection on New Orleans's devastation."
Personnel: Pat Metheny (guitar).
Additional personnel: Christian McBride (acoustic bass); Antonio Sanchez (drums).
Issued in early 2008, DAY TRIP finds jazz-guitar hero Pat Metheny collaborating with the top-notch rhythm section of Christian McBride (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums). While McBride anchors the proceedings with understated grace, Sanchez often cuts loose with busy percussive patterns, though he never steals the spotlight away from Metheny.
The versatile veteran six-stringer spins deft Wes Montgomery-like lines on "Son of Thirteen," eases into a delicate acoustic mode on "Dreaming Trees," and amps up on "The Red One," resulting in an excellent showcase of his widely renowned artistic range. While preceding Metheny releases were more ambitious (THE WAY UP) or piano-oriented (see his albums with Brad Mehldau), DAY TRIP presents the guitarist getting back to basics while losing none of his eclecticism.