"Beyond everything we do together as players, Steve, Lyle and I have worked on putting together so many records together on a production level that we can really communicate effectively amongst ourselves to get the kinds of results that reflect the level of quality that we all aspire to. In particular, the way Steve is able to function on so many levels during the organization and recording of these records is very important. He is one of the best people I have ever seen at getting the very best out of everyone involved and the material itself during a recording session."

"As a team, We have recorded so many times together over the years that we usually have a pretty precise sense of what is going to happen when and at approximately what rate before we start recording. This time however, the sheer speed at which this very ambitious music was able to get recorded kind of took us all by surprise. Within a little over a week, we had all the basic tracks done and were able to finish the first stage of the project with time to spare, something that has rarely been the case with us in the past when working on our studio recordings."

After a 2-month break for Metheny to fulfill his summer commitments at an array of continental jazz festivals with his trio, the core team of Metheny, Mays and Rodby regrouped for the final stages of recording and mixing, finishing the record in the fall of 2001.