Pat Metheny Unity Band

For the first time since his 1980 release 80/81, guitarist Pat Metheny has recorded with a band that features tenor saxophone. Unity Band, due from Nonesuch on June 12, 2012, introduces a new Metheny ensemble with Chris Potter on sax and bass clarinet, longtime collaborator Antonio Sanchez on drums, and the up-and-coming Ben Williams on bass. The album features nine new Metheny compositions.

Once you’ve heard Pat Metheny you will always recognise him, no matter what company he’s in or what instrument he’s playing, be it a simple acoustic guitar or some unlikely invention of his own. Beneath it all there’s a frank, open-hearted tunefulness that keeps the music airborne. This double album, recorded at the end of a year-long tour by his Unity Band, is as polished and sophisticated as any, but moments such as the opening melody of This Belongs to You or the gradual unfolding of Born are just plain elegant. There’s a similar quality about saxophonist Chris Potter’s playing, and all four are so relaxed in each other’s company that everything flows beautifully.

Despite the innovation, many PMG fans have nostalgically longed for the return of more accessible material. Kin (<–>), the Unity Band's sophomore outing, should please fans of all Metheny stripes. The band is now a quintet with multi-instrumentalist Giulio Carmassi. He plays piano, strings, brass, winds, vibes, voice, and more. While the frontline remains the guitarist and Potter, the rhythm section of Williams and Sanchez is fluid in earthy and ethereal modes, seamlessly providing grooves and force, often simultaneously. Carmassi's contributions balance melody, form, texture, and interactive dynamics. Metheny's ability to convey an almost hummable sense of melodic euphoria was at the heart of the PMG's sound.

Guitarist, composer, and bandleader Pat Metheny is one of the most successful jazz musicians in the world. He is the only artist to win 20 Grammy Awards in 10 different categories. A consummate stylist and risk-taker, his musical signature melds a singular, euphoric sense of harmony with Afro-Latin and Brazilian sounds, rock, funk, global folk musics, and jazz. His 1976 debut, Bright Size Life, and the self-titled Pat Metheny Group two years later resonated with audiences and critics for its euphoric lyricism, dynamics, and rhythmic ideas.

Joined by a superb cast of marquee players, Dewa Budjana's new release (his 4th on MoonJune), "Hasta Karma," sets a new benchmark for modern progressive jazz excellence in the 21st century. With a vibe and feel more akin to that of a band with decades of experience together, Dewa and his stellar session-mates – the legendary NYC vibraphonist, Joe Locke, and Pat Metheny Unity Group's rhythm core: the fabulous, articulate young upright bassist, Ben Williams, and the extraordinary maestro drummer, Antonio Sanchez – create superlative atmospheric textures that transport listeners to destinations of soaring altitude. Augmenting proceedings further is the glowing work of the legendary Indonesian keyboardist, Indra Lesmana.