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his sound his style his range his growth his quest his songs << back |
Chris’s RangeThere seems to be nothing jazzwise that Chris Potter cannot do.
His recorded output runs the gamut from swing-era-style section work to classic
bebop [albeit pushing out the boundaries] to early-Ornette-style free jazz to outer-limits avant garde in the vein of Ayler. And more to the point, not only can he do it, he sounds completely at home doing it -- he sounds like he has something valid and vital and uniquely Chris to contribute to every style he touches.He can blow get-down groove soul jazz worthy of Stan the Man, he can blow that lush loose romantic stuff well enough that he could earn a fortune in “smooth jazz” if he ever felt like selling out, he can pretty near match his original inspiration Paul Desmond with gorgeous ballads, and he swings so profoundly and naturally that no song can resist his power, no matter how non-jazz that song might be. Basically, whatever you need, Chris can deliver top-of-the-line. And as if this mastery of the reed instruments weren’t enough, he also plays piano and guitar, well enough to impress a discerning audience. [Blue Lake Public Radio’s Lazaro Vega: “Chris Potter came to Grand Rapids after he had his ear infection and he couldn’t play his saxophone, so he played piano all night and he was burnin’.”] Face it: this guy has range. Of course, his uncommon versatility makes a lot of sense once you understand the nature of Chris’s quest ... REMINDER: all this is just my opinion, I could be wrong. |
