This came out in 2000 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Guitarists are the Rodney Dangerfields of jazz — next to the horn players and pianists, they get no respect. And even when they do, it doesn’t mean much. (Sure, everybody’s heard of Django Reinhardt, but how many folks own one of his albums?)
One exception is Pat Metheny, whose vibrant, recognizable sound and adventurous style have earned him arena-size popularity and critical acclaim.The quietly swinging Trio 99 -> 00 is, as usual, a change of pace — a return to the trio format for only the third time in his 25-year career. Three is not a crowd here; tastefully flamboyant drummer Bill Stewart and rock-solid bassist Larry Grenadier give Metheny plenty of room to weave his delicate, spiderwebby cascading runs and chord bursts. At times, it’s a bit restrained — particularly on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, you wait in vain for them to cut loose. But even at his noodliest, Metheny never loses your respect.
