No-one noodles his way up his own archtop quite so self-delightingly as Metheny. So hurrah for him for re-energising himself on this, his best release for many a long year. He's done it by engaging with youth – bright young thing Williams whom Charlie McBride clocked at the Juilliard – and crucially by engaging the stellar Potter. It's disingenuous to say this is the first Metheny band for 30 years to feature tenor (the splendid 80/81 with Brecker and Dewey Redman). But it's a combination that pushes Metheny to work muscles he's kind of forgotten he had. Potter has been on board with this project from the off, and it's his ever restless, yet deeply melodic sax that sparks the Unity Band. Indeed he lifts the orchestrion sketch ‘Signals’ by the scruff of the neck, and adds soul to the Pastorius-touched ballad ‘Then And Now.’ And he also ensures this band cooks, as on the closing ‘Breakdealer’ which has Metheny doing his Jim Hall with balls thing over Sánchez' ever urging drums.