Reunion is a 1989 album by Gary Burton, reuniting him with guitarist Pat Metheny for their first recordings in almost 13 years. Both have been called prodigies. Burton joined George Shearing's group in 1963 at the age of 19. He met Metheny at the Wichita Jazz Festival in 1973 when Metheny was 18 years old. After welcoming him as a teaching colleague at the Berklee College of Music, he hired Metheny for the newly expanded Gary Burton Quintet in 1974.[2]
Metheny left Burton's group in 1977 to form his own quartet with Lyle Mays. The two had virtually no contact with each other until, in early 1988, the organizers of the Montreal Jazz Festival contacted Burton. They told him that Metheny was the festival host and invited Burton to join him onstage. "My apprehension was immediately erased when I saw how easy it was for us to play together, even after 12 years," said Burton.[2] This led to their collaboration on Reunion.
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