Chris Potter Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
Chris Potter's Underground have stayed the course over five years, proving to be a very compelling electric-oriented funky jazz band with a big twist. Since the recording South that Potter did with fellow saxophonist David Binney, the jagged, angular, zig-zag-type melodies that Potter has composed stand him head and shoulders above all of his peers in modern music. Retaining electric keyboardist Craig Taborn and electric guitarist Adam Rogers, Potter works with them because they are able to keep pace with his lightning-quick lines and interval-leaping concepts without even a glimpse of a misstep. Drummer Nate Smith plays unorthodox grooves in odd meters to add further complexity that never sounds disjointed or haphazard. Potter's incredible vision of what jazz can be starts with the spare beat and sax in bizarro world via the pronounced guitar of Rogers stewed in a New Orleans-type shuffle on the title track; adds shout-out choruses in a 5/4 rock beat with many unison sax/guitar lines during "Time's Arrow"; and works out a chunky, funky dissolution in mixed odd meters for "Small Wonder." The bluesy, slanted, complex, and extended-cycle melodies melting into sky-soaring concepts most closely reflect the Binney effect on "Facing East." A loose jam stomp-down identifies "Boots"; a harder beat in Headhunters/Funkadelic terrain with no bass -- though it seems Taborn assimilates that role -- cements the band as "Rumples" gets down; and Potter moves to bass clarinet for the thinly veiled cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe." On this recording, Rogers is far more steel-cased, rip-roaring, and on fire than his previous efforts, playing many tandem lines with the leader. Taborn languishes in the background, yet cleverly plays a role that expands the rhythmic content of the group. Potter has been at the forefront of progressive and contemporary jazz since the founding of this ensemble, one that all younger listeners should champion, and deserves high marks in the annals of new jazz as presenting one of the more innovative approaches in the decade of the 2000s. Ultrahang comes highly recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
'Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard'
Release Date 8/28/2007
Tracks 6
Label Sunnyside
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What The Critics Say
Chris Potter's quartet Underground should be looked upon as one of the many facets in the saxophonist's prismatic view of contemporary jazz. Certainly the band is oriented toward a progressive jazz image with the electric guitar work of the brilliant Adam Rogers and Craig Taborn's witty and pungent Fender Rhodes keyboard. Assumedly the concept of Underground harks somewhat to the fusion of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea. But Potter's vision with this combo goes beyond those static and funkier values, entering a wilder, unabashed, and fierce aggression that cannot be corralled. In live performance at the storied Village Vanguard nightclub in Greenwich Village, you expect and receive long drawn-out compositions, extended solos especially from Potter, and new music tried out as audience experiments. "Train" is a long 16-minute trip, with mixed meters starting in 3/4 and going to 6/8, building momentum and leading to alternating beats of nine and seven and Potter's extended opening salvo solo. This is intense music -- sliced, diced, marinated, and flash-seared by Potter. "Arjuna" (not the Yusef Lateef composition) is a spectral sound analysis, lower key and illuminated, with a drum solo from Nate Smith, a Rhodes solo, choppy sax, and a workout from Potter and Rogers. Fond of interval leaps and overblown harmonic displacements, Potter's tenor is driven during "Viva Las Vilnius" over a quirky rhythmic idea meshed with a funky bottom end and Latin or ethnic inferences. The last two pieces of the set are decidedly settled, as Taborn's soulful electric piano on the sparse ballad "Zea" places the group in a calmer place and Potter plays delicate bass clarinet in an upper register atypical of its usual throaty sound. The finale, "Togo," is a version of the great melodic composition drummer Ed Blackwell brought to the repertoire of Old and New Dreams. It's very well rendered, with Potter sticking to bass clarinet, understating the melody with reverence and respect before Taborn goes crazy, stepping up the vibe into a funky mode while Potter switches to tenor and plays the calmer final chorus. For Potter's fans, this is a worthwhile addition to his growing discography. Considering Potter as a new music composer, this indicates how his music is changing and still flowering, and in a developmental stage. Evidently Potter and the audience were very pleased with the results, and perhaps a second volume of these sessions is in the can. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Chris Potter took his electric band, Underground, on the road throughout 2005, trying out new material and working through some of his gems. This Sunnyside date is the first time this band has been in the studio together. Underground features Potter playing tenor saxophone exclusively, guitarist Wayne Krantz (in a rare sideman role to be sure), Craig Taborn on Fender Rhodes, and drummer Nate Smith. Right, that's not an error: there's no bassist. The program is diverse, featuring six Potter originals and some startling choices for covers: Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom," Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday" (which also features Adam Rogers on an additional guitar), and the Radiohead tune "Morning Bell." The obvious question is whether this a "fusion" record. The answer would have to be yes, given the knottiness of the arrangements, the twisting and turning original tunes, and the phrasing between Krantz and Taborn. But then, that's an obvious answer. The less obvious one is that this is fully an electric jazz record with plenty of groove and some swing in the mix, too. Potter is a fine composer and understands the strengths of the bands he writes for. He never leaves notions of hard bop or post-bop out completely -- check out the opener for evidence with its knotty head that echoes the Jazz Messengers. "Morning Bell" is beautifully illustrated here. Potter tempts the melody to come out of his horn, and then moves around and through it to bring out something else entirely. Krantz's gently pulsing guitar work and Taborn's painterly touch in the lower register keeps the dynamic static until the tension builds and then releases again. "Lotus Blossom" will piss off some because of its soft, space-age atmospherics at the beginning and Taborn's strange illustrative tinkling around Potter's melody. It feels so nocturnal, but more like Sun Ra haunting the backdrop of the tune. Yes, that's a compliment. Taborn asserts himself more as it plays out, but never removes (entirely) the shimmering angularity from his playing as Smith enters with his cymbals. It's simply a lovely and a truly poetic read. "Big Top" plays with different dynamic and thematic ideas, centered around the dancing pulse of Smith's drumming as the only constant in the track. It drives, dances, whispers, rolls, and shoves its way through its complex ensemble phrases that touch on funk, hard bop, and post-bop, and Potter takes his solo outside into some serious honking and bleating territory. The title track begins as a slow, bluesy nocturnal thing in a time signature somewhere between three signatures. Krantz and Potter play contrapuntal harmonic phrases in the theme and set a groove. Krantz's chord fills and short runs during Potter's solo are choice and keep him tight to the blues. On his own break, however, he plays all around the theme and never through it. He fires his lines tight and hot into the middle and lets Taborn fill in the holes while never missing rhythmically. Taborn is dead funky here -- he punches the center with big nasty chords and popping small runs. Underground won't come close to appealing to everyone, but so what? It's a fine Potter outing and studio documentation of a fine band that has actually kept the jazz in fusion and vice versa. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard'
Release Date 5/25/2004
Tracks 7
Label Sunnyside
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What The Critics Say
Chris Potter's new Live at the Village Vanguard album starts jarringly enough. There is a particular knotty, unaccompanied solo saxophone intro to drummer Bill Stewart's "7.5" played via tape delay by Potter on seemingly three saxophones. He is joined by a series of freaky tones on Kevin Hays' Fender Rhodes playing what sounds like the keys on a telephone keypad to truly disorienting effect. Soon enough, however, the ensemble kicks in to fill out the rhythm, Hays switches to piano, and Potter brings the tune's melodic body into focus, swinging half-in-half-out, tightrope walking around a series of scalar figures that translate it into a wonderfully energetic ride. And this is merely the statement of purpose for the entire gig. On the original material, Potter's now truly unique voice on the tenor may have been influenced in equal parts by Dewey Redman, John Coltrane, and even Sonny Rollins, but his manner of phrasing and his distinct tone make him an original on the horn. Potter is a harmonic whiz kid. On "What You Wish," he and the quartet -- which also includes the amazing Scott Colley on bass -- move through augmented phases and interludes, evolving a melody into a modal concern in the breaks, and turning it out multidimensionally. Hays piano solo moves from modal groove exploration to Latin vamps to Bill Evans-styled harmonic extrapolation. Potter enunciates the Latin tinge, and takes it all the way over into streamlined post-bop with beautiful choruses. But then, as if the entire gig was going to lift right off, Potter slows it down beautifully, once again using his delay to introduce a spacey yet moving rendition of "Stella by Starlight." For those offended by the use of a piece of electronic gear in a live setting, this artifact that is part of the saxophonist's arsenal will dispel some of those irritations because he uses it so naturally and unaffectedly. When the band reaches back into its own bag of tricks for the title track, the transformation is complete: Potter and his quartet are taking the gift of post-bop jazz and moving into new territories tonally, harmonically, and yes, thankfully, lyrically. This is forward-thinking music that is full of emotion, swing, and sophistication. It is readily accessible for anyone willing to encounter it either historically or on its own terms. Lift is a sharp, tough, and streetwise record of a fine gig played in a jazz temple with aplomb and sass. It points in new directions and offers a solid portrait of the artist as not only a strident voice, but as a visionary as well. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Chris Potter gets more and more adventurous. On this follow-up to the strong Gratitude, the tenor and soprano saxophonist beefs up strong writing and heady group interplay with occasional sampled sounds and miscellaneous textures like clavinet and reed organ. True to form, he plays additional wind instruments -- alto flute and bass clarinet in this case -- and isn't afraid of overdubbing them to create lush orchestration, on tracks like "Snake Oil" and "Any Moment Now." On the haunting "Invisible Man" he even doubles the alto flute melody with his singing voice. Not until the fifth track, a Meters-like adaptation of the spiritual "Children Go," do you hear a 4/4 tempo; loping lines over odd meters prevail, with pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Bill Stewart expertly laying down the edgy grooves. (Like on Gratitude, Hays doubles on Fender Rhodes.) John Scofield contributes tart solos on three tracks, while Adam Rogers adds nylon-string and slide colors on two others. The sweeping, Metheny-esque harmonies of "Highway One" bring the program to a head, followed by a closing bass clarinet/piano duo on Willie Nelson's "Just as I Am." As a jazz record, Traveling Mercies is very much a product of its post-millennial times, but it still comes across as highly individual. Its value will be lasting. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide
'This Will Be: The Jazzpar Prize'
Release Date 8/7/2001
Tracks 9
Label Storyville
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What The Critics Say
With all of the attention that multi-instrumentalist Chris Potter began getting at the dawn of the 21st century in his homeland of the U.S., he had already been awarded the Jazzpar Prize in 2000, with part of the honor including this special concert recording made to feature his work. Accompanied by a quartet including pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Billy Drummond, this young man (not yet 30 at the time) displays tremendous chops on tenor sax and the skills of a seasoned composer and arranger with his opener, "This Will Be" (which is based on the chord changes to "My Shining Hour"). He switches to soprano sax for his even more adventurous "Okinawa." Potter is also heard on flute and bass clarinet elsewhere on the CD. His quartet expands to a septet with the addition of cornetist Kasper Tranberg, flutist and bass clarinetist Peter Fuglsang, and guitarist Jacob Fischer for his six-part "Jazzpar Suite." Following the richly textured introduction, which omits the rhythm section, Potter's extended work proves that he is well on his way to becoming one of the most influential jazz composers of his generation. "Part Four -- Tribute to Hodges & Ellington" captures the mood of the two jazz giants without resorting to directly copying their sound together. The encore is a tender yet somewhat dissonant (at times) interpretation of Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" by the quartet. This CD is well worth acquiring by post-bop fans. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Saxophonist Chris Potter honors the legacy of some of jazz's greats on Gratitude, his debut for Verve. The award-winning virtuoso and composer is compelling on his tributes to John Coltrane, Eddie Harris, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Parker, and several other legendary saxophonists. Gratitude contains nine original compositions written by Potter, who plays tenor saxophone on the majority of the songs, switches to soprano saxophone on "Eurydice," his tribute to Wayne Shorter, and plays the alto saxophone and Chinese wood flute on "Star Eyes," the tribute to Charlie Parker. Chris Potter is outstanding on bass clarinet on his composition "The Visitor" for Lester Young and captures the ambience that reflects the many styles of these accomplished players, including sliding from one note to a higher or lower note with intermediate pitches on "The Source," his tribute to the glissandi (sheets of sound) of John Coltrane, and capturing the dense, soulful sound of Joe Henderson on "Shadow." Gratitude also includes a song titled "What's New," for the current generation which completes the set. Potter, leading his great quartet of contemporaries -- keyboardist Kevin Hayes, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade -- makes a significant contribution to jazz history with this project and offers musical statements and voices that are truly varied in scope and deep in their essence. ~ Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Shortly before the recording of Vertigo, Chris Potter suffered partial hearing loss after undergoing treatments for Ménière’s disease, an inner ear condition. Vertigo was in fact one of the symptoms he had been experiencing. Despite (or perhaps because of) the somewhat frightening circumstance that led to its title, Vertigo is Potter's most mature and expressive work to date. "Almost Home" and "Wake Up" are two of his prettiest, most memorable melodies. "Fishy" and the title track feature bass clarinet overdubs that double Scott Colley's basslines, to great effect. "Shiva" opens the record with an angular melodic line, stated in unison with utmost precision by Potter and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, whose warm yet crisp tone is a delight. Drummer Billy Drummond trades 12-bar solo statements with Colley on "Long Walk, Short Pier," the first of three tracks to feature guest tenor man Joe Lovano. ("This Will Be," based on the standard "My Shining Hour," and "Modeen's Mood," a free-form tribute to drummer Paul Motian, are the other two.) "Act III, Scene I" is a rubato meditation on the most famous Shakespeare soliloquy of them all ("To be or not to be"). Even more than Unspoken, Potter's superstar session with John Scofield, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette, Vertigo reveals Potter as a player and composer with an uncommonly personal vision. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Working with drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Dave Holland, and guitarist John Scofield, saxophonist Chris Potter recorded his most adventurous record to date with Unspoken. Although his powerhouse rhythm section sometimes overwhelms him, Potter flexes more creative muscle throughout Unspoken, resulting in an engaging, frequently provocative listen. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Backed by pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Billy Hart, Chris Potter delivers yet another powerful album. His playing and writing ascend another rung on the ladder of sophistication and intensity. Leaving aside his alto sax, Potter opts for tenor on most tracks, but he plays soprano on the quasi-waltz "Book of Kells" and the standard "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" (Mehldau sits out on the latter). He also employs bass clarinet on the somber "Chorale." The multiple horn overdubs with which Potter experimented on his previous Concord album, Pure, are absent here. Billy Hart is especially well-suited for the rock-like rhythm of "Nero's Fiddle," the 5/4 boogaloo of "Moving In," and the oblique funk of "Rhubarb." "The Forest" contains a harmonized passage that sounds reminiscent of Chick Corea. "South for the Winter" highlights Potter's mellower side, while "Pelog" and "Old Faithful" are solid, midtempo blowing vehicles. Concept-wise, this isn't Potter's boldest offering. But the playing is emotionally charged and technically superb. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide
