Kin review – the Pat Metheny Unity Group take on 30 instruments and win

A quintet playing a total of around 30 instruments? Even for the audacious Metheny it seems a lot to manage, but not only does he use them all, the result is quintessentially his own. The textures change constantly without sounding cluttered, the rhythms are compelling but unfailingly light and airy, and the tunes are, well, tuneful. Particularly impressive are saxophonist Chris Potter and the extraordinary Giulio Carmassi, who handles 11 instruments, plus singing and a bit of whistling on the side. In addition to guitars, Metheny employs the Orchestrion, the 19th-century mechanical band he reinvented with today's technology.