Pat Metheny - The Unity Sessions (2016) [Hi-Res]

Pat Metheny - The Unity Sessions finds the 20 time Grammy winning guitarist and the youngest member of the Downbeat Hall of Fame at the helm of one of his best bands ever as they wrap up a 150 date world tour with an intimate studio performance filmed in a small New York City theatre. Featuring new performances of music from the Grammy winning Unity Band record, the expansive Unity Group KIN recording, and touchstones from the entirety of Metheny s illustrious career, these are essential performances that serve as a rare visual documentation of some of the best music of Metheny s ever expanding career.

Linear notes from Pat: These past few years have been kind of a dream for me. In 2012, I assembled a group of musicians for what became the Unity Band release. I had been feeling a pull to make a more traditional horn-plus-rhythm-section type record, a setting I had visited often as a sideman with others over the years, but rarely on my own (the record 80/81 from 30 years before being really the only precedent). In addition, I had been a fan of saxophonist Chris Potter since he burst onto the scene as a teenager with Red Rodney in the 90’s and had always hoped to do something with him, and it felt like the perfect moment to finally make that happen. Drummer Antonio Sanchez has become one of the major collaborators of my career and the thought of building a setting that featured him and Chris together was inspiring. And Ben Williams really caught my ear when I heard him as a student at Juilliard a few years before. A few trio gigs with him and Antonio convinced me he would be a great choice on bass.

I set about writing a bunch of music that I knew we would be able to record in a day or two. We did a small trial run gig at a club in upstate New York, and went from there directly into the recording studio in the next days. Unity Band was an incredibly fun and easy record to make. Everyone sounded fantastic and there was an excellent chemistry at work. And although my own personal history at Unity Village back in Missouri had a big part in the use of “unity” as a moniker, there were a lot of early indications that musically we were honoring the word in the best sense; we were a group of musicians coming from different backgrounds and places and even different generations, but we quickly found a band sound that allowed all of us to work together, and also do the things that we all did best as individuals.

As a bandleader over the years, I have tried to create environments where the people I have chosen to join me on this or that part of the journey are able to shine and do their best. Since I have always written the music that my bands have played, it gives me an extra opportunity to manifest my enthusiasm for the players around me by coming up with settings that hopefully illuminate the things I love about their playing. In this case, it was really fun and easy to come up with material for Chris, Ben and Antonio. That first record we made had a lot of success; it won the Grammy award that year for Best Jazz Recording, and it felt like it was noted by fans and critics all over the world as an announcement of a new band on the scene.

Pat Metheny, guitars, guitar synth, Orchestrion
Chris Potter, saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, acoustic guitar
Ben Williams, double bass, electric bass
Antonio Sanchez, drums, cajón
Giulio Carmassi, piano, keyboards, trumpet, voice

01. Pat Metheny - Adagia (2:09)
02. Pat Metheny - Sign of the Season (10:43)
03. Pat Metheny - This Belongs to You (5:40)
04. Pat Metheny - Roof Dogs (7:50)
05. Pat Metheny - Cherokee (5:02)
06. Pat Metheny - Genealogy (2:05)
07. Pat Metheny - On Day One (15:18)
08. Pat Metheny - Medley: Phase Dance / Minuano / Midwestern Nights / The Sun in Montreal / Omaha Celebration / Antonia / Last Train Home (10:53)
09. Pat Metheny - Come and See (12:55)
10. Ornette Coleman - Police People (2:53)
11. Pat Metheny - Two Folk Songs (4:59)
12. Pat Metheny - Born (7:52)
13. Pat Metheny - Kin (<-->) (11:06)
14. Pat Metheny - Rise Up (12:28)
15. Pat Metheny - Go Get It (4:19)