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SUBJECT:	AAJ Review: Pat Metheny, Unity Band Back to Subjects
djbinder Jun 08 2012 at 10:36 AM	A review of Pat Metheny’s Unity Band, today at All About Jazz. It’s the first time Metheny has played with a tenor saxophonist since 80/81 (ECM, 1980), and he couldn’t have made a better choice than Chris Potter, for an album that may well become known as a classic alongside its 32 year-old predecessor. With bassist Ben Williams and drummer Antonio Sanchez fleshing out the quartet, there’s no shortage of firepower but no problem with gentler dispositions either, on an album that, three decades later, incorporates Metheny’s much larger palette (acoustic guitars, guitar synths, Pikasso guitar, alongside his warm-toned electric), his broader stylistic concerns and, despite there being no shortage of blowing space, a stronger sense of composition. Let’s hope this group stays around long enough to record another record; if it’s this good at the starting gate, who knows where it’ll be a year from now, with a world tour under its belt. Review here: http://j.mp/LCBeNa
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dgaw59 Jun 25 2012 at 7:23 PM	Let’s face it: sometimes a composer can be too prolific; even our hero PM. Beethoven, Ellington, Zappa, McCartney, Metheny etc. all wrote their fare share of mediocrities. I really enjoy listening to PM play other people’s tunes and wish he would do that more often. With that said, I am surprised at how fine the Unity Band record is. Sure there are some typical "Methenyesque" riffs and melodies but overall the playing is superb and the compositions seem fresh.
s in Boston Jun 21 2012 at 12:41 PM	djbinder, I also want to follow up on my comments regarding the composition Roof Dogs. Obviously, it is melodically, structurely, and harmonically quite different from Question And Answer. My point was that Roof Dogs shares the same mood and type of groove as Q&A and When We Were Free, and I speculated that Pat intends to play it in place of those older compositions on the upcoming tour. Just to be clear about what I am talking about - on his trio tours for many years now, Pat has played either Q&A or (beginning with the 2003 trio tour) When We Were Free pretty much every single night as an extended piece with a long, bluesy-modal jam on the coda at the end. Again, this is pure speculation, but I’m thinking he decided he needed to come up with a new tune to fit that slot in the setlist, and Roof Dogs is it. And in that sense, it doesn’t really seem new or exciting to me.
s in Boston Jun 21 2012 at 11:04 AM	djbiner, one quick note - I didn’t raise any objection to the guitar synth - maybe someone else did? Anyways, I agree with much of what you are saying regarding the playing. That’s why I said this is a recording very few musicians could ever even dream of making. And it’s true that there are different ways of being intense, and working within the bounds of restraint is one of those ways. But I don’t agree that it’s either/or - some of Pat’s (and Lyle’s) best solos combine all-out wailing with restraint and finesse. ~ ~ ~ My main problem with this CD remains the compositions. I am surprised to find myself saying this because you don’t even want to KNOW what a great composer I think Pat is. But I find these pieces kinda . . . . boring. And of course it is entirely possible I am the one who is missing something - I absolutely accept that. In fact, I hope I come back to this record in a few months and go, "What was wrong with me??????" In the meantime, to each his own, as you say.
djbinder Jun 20 2012 at 4:38 PM	-s, each to their own. While I would agree that compositionally it’s not overall as revolutionary as some of his earlier work, it’s pretty hard to expect someone, imo, with a body of work as large, with as many compositions, to manage that time and again; still, I find the writing riveting and the playing by the entire group exhilarating where it needs to be, restrained and lyrical elsewhere. I’d say that the Orchestrion piece is, to my ears, the answer to those who criticized that album of being cold and inhuman. On Unity, he integrates technology (as does Potter) in a way that reminds me of many of the Norwegians I so admire: seamlessly. But beyond the compositions, I think that this is hands-down his best non-trio, non-PMG group in decades - at least, under HIS leadership. Pat is always going to be restrained, to some extent, on record, and we all know why that is, so to criticize that restraint is like asking for the sky to be green. But that said, what we have instead, is an album where the solos are so expertly constructed as to make it possible for me to hear ’em again and again and still find them compelling; sometimes a visceral, balls-out solo will be great live, or great on record a few times, but ultimately wears thin because that’s all it is; instead, these are solos of strong compositional focus themselves, and I’m very fond of them for that reason. I’ll agree with you about the guitar synth....kinda. I don’t think it’s attributable to the motivation of which you speak (that’s sheer conjecture anyway). I must say that I do think it’s time to realize it’s ok NOT to use certain textures on every record (or, at least, most). But I like the tune just fine, and I don’t feel that it’s a poor cousin to Q&A. Other than his use of the same guitar synth tone (and remember, Q&A didn’t even start out with it on the original record), the song has absolutely NO structural resemblance to Q&A. If we are going to start levying that kind of criticism, then we at least need to be talking about two pieces that, beyond the use of the texture, have something else in common. They don’t. Hey, listen, you are obviously entitled to your opinion, and if this record doesn’t float your boat, hey, it is what it is. But I do know that other writers whose opinions I trust, are raving about it also; that doesn’t make them (or me) more right or wrong than you; but I am wondering, perhaps, if your expectations are so high that he’ll never meet ’em at this point; is it possible that you are so much about frames of reference to classics that you’re not allowing for the fact that it’s decades later, and even comparisons to 80/81 beyond use of tenor sax are a little misplaced, imo. He’ll not recreate that record, not would he try. Instead, he’s got a kickass band that, as you suspect (and I agree) will no doubt take this material to another level, and if King CRimson’s RObert Fripp referred to studio records as "a love letter" and live shows "a hot date," is there any reason why we shouldn’t think along similar lines for Metheny? Best! Dave
s in Boston Jun 19 2012 at 2:54 PM	Tom, I was only counting work with tenor players, and hman, I thought about Pedro on HOA but that really isn’t what I’m talking about . . .
s in Boston Jun 19 2012 at 2:42 PM	John (djbinder), I really can’t agree that it’s one of PM’s best. It’s hard for me to say this, because Pat is pretty much my favorite jazz musician, ever. And I’ve been following Chris Potter for a long time and wondering when Pat was going to do a project with him. So I really wanted to love Unity Band. Instead, I only just like it. I’m hoping to avoid writing one of my epic rambling posts full of typos and tortured grammar, but I’ll share a few thoughts. My two main complaints about Unity Band is that the playing and genaral mood throughout is too restrained, and that the compositions often seem derivitive of PM’s prior work. I’m sure the restraint part will be addressed when they tour - I have no doubt these guys will cut loose and blow the roof off wherever they go. (I had the same complaint about the Metheny + Mehldau CDs but very much enjoyed the live concerts.) The point about the compositions is a little harder for me to process. Generally I find them to be formulaic replacements of songs Pat has played regularly over the past decade or so. Maybe some examples will help: 1. New Year sounds like an outtake from Metheny + Mehldau. It’s a nice enough thing to listen to, but it’s just so restrained. The melody never takes me anywhere I don’t expect to go, and the changes seem to be setting them up to improvise in this one little niche - there’s no big release, if you will. Of course they play really well but it’s just not a tune that I’m going to find myself humming as I walk down the street. On a technical note, I’ll also mention that I noticed right away that Chris Potter sounds too cleanly separated from the rest of the band. Instead of getting an image of them all playing together in a club or something, I immediatly pictured the reality of how it was recorded, i.e., everyone in an isolation booth, headphones on, looking at each other through glass. ~ ~ ~ 2. "Roofdogs" just sounds incredibly derivitive to me. The groove sounds like a mashup of "John McKee" and "When We Were Free," while the melody remnds me of "Half-life Of Absolution." I couldn’t help thinking that Pat has decided he doesn’t want to play WWWF or "Question & Answer" on this tour and wrote "Roofdogs" as a replacement. It’s kinda the same thing, only not as good. And I’m disappointed the track is so short. (I’m guessing Pat’s saving the big throwdown on this tune for the live concerts.) ~ ~ ~ 3. "Come And See" sounds to me like a replacement for the spot on the setlist formerly held by "Into The Dream" followed by "So May It Secretly Begin." The Pikasso intro is nice and I’ll be interested to hear what they do with that part live. But the main theme just does not have the melodic and harmonic strength of SMISB. ~ ~ ~ 4. "This Belongs To You" - Pat has written a lot of stunningly, hauntingly beautiful ballads over the years, each with it’s own special character - you would never confuse "As I Am" with "Always And Forever," and so on. But "This Belongs To You" sounds too much to me like a combination of "We Had A Sister," "The Sun In Montreal," and "Katrina Song." It just doesn’t have a melody I need to hear again and again. ~ ~ ~ Maybe I should stop there. I do think there are bright spots. And I may be right and this may not be Pat’s best effort, but for most musicians, it’s better than anything they will ever dream of recording. And I’ll add that I’m pleasantly surprised at how well the orchestrion works in the quartet setting. Again, I’m sure the live version of that played nightly on the tour will be something to remember. Anyway, to summarize, on an absolute grade scale, I’d give this a B+. On the Pat Metheny curve, it’s a C or possibly a C-, but he has a chance to bring his grade up substantially with extra-credit work on the tour.
mountain Jun 13 2012 at 11:32 AM	Wow. John Kelman wrote a very glowing and indepth review of the Unity Band release while simultaneously putting this recording in perspective in Metheny’s career. As a fan, I found the review to be entertaining and informative...especially for cats just digging into Pat’s work. I received my pre-ordered Unity Band CD and signed poster in a box large enough I thought they had sent me one of Pat’s guitars! I am making my way through the CD and find it very compelling, both fresh and new, as well as linking with the past...with references and extensions of previous works. UB is tremendous and I would not be surprized if Pat grabs another Grammy (for whatever they are worth) for this release. I have tickets to see this band in August. I can’t wait to hear how the band evolves in a live setting. Perhaps we will also get a live recording out of this down the road... I am still patiently waiting for the Orchestrion DVD. Maybe it will be released while Pat is on tour and I can buy at the show. Wouldn’t that be cool?
hman01 Jun 13 2012 at 10:44 AM	And while we’re at it,didn’t Pedro Aznar take a rare turn when he played sax on "Half Life of Absolution"?
djbinder Jun 13 2012 at 6:39 AM	Yes, but in defense of S, Garrett’s an altoist. This is the first time he’s been on record with a tenor player, AS A LEADER, since 80/81. If we are talking sideman dates, we could also mention Gary Thomas’ incredible Til We Have Faces. But if we’re talking just leader and saxophone period, let’s not forget Song X...but Ornette plays alto (well, most of the time).
thehague Jun 12 2012 at 1:30 PM	Great review, John. Thanks.
Tom Rudd Jun 12 2012 at 11:14 AM	"s, You left out Pat w/ Kenny Garrett. ;-)
djbinder Jun 12 2012 at 6:12 AM	But post aside, s, how do you like the review ?
djbinder Jun 12 2012 at 6:11 AM	z, thanks for the nit picks, always happy to hear from you. Yes, of course, I mean as a leader.... :) D’oh...I am/was fully aware, having seen him with David Sanchez and Dewey Redman in Montreal in 2005...:)
naut Jun 12 2012 at 4:37 AM	I won’t/can’t review this at all here, but it comes out today and I’m psyched. Nice that Pat’s playing in the band again on record, after several solo projects on robots and acoustic. Hope I can catch this group.
jk Jun 11 2012 at 11:12 PM	this is N I C E! potter is tripping. great CD.
drum523 Jun 11 2012 at 9:07 PM	I received the new cd today(pre-order), and the compositions are excellent. I really admire Pat’s creativity. There is a track with an orchestrion theme and I am really looking foward to the dvd. Any news on that?
s in Boston Jun 11 2012 at 11:44 AM	Sorry! Of course, I meant to say it’s his first recording as a leader with a tenor player since 80/81.
s in Boston Jun 11 2012 at 11:39 AM	John, I seem destined to nitpick your posts. Unity Band is Pat’s first official RECORDING, as a LEADER, with a tenor saxophonist. As I am sure you are aware, Pat toured extensively with Michael Brecker in the late 90s and early 2000s, sometimes as leader, sometimes as co-leader, and in the case of the brief 1997 tour in support of Brecker’s Tales From The Hudson CD, with Brecker as leader. There were also the "Pat Metheny Special Quartet" gigs with Dewey Redman in the 80s, and then later with Ernie Watts. And of course, there were the tours before and after the release of Josh Redman’s Wish CD. Some of those gigs were with Pat as leader, and some were billed as the Joshua Redman Quartet. And just to be a complete pain, I will remind you of the small number of gigs Pat played with Sonny Rollins @1983.
redrngr Jun 10 2012 at 7:14 AM	Really good review of the new album and I look forward to hearing it for the first time!
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