Twenty-seven year old reed man Chris Potter made a big splash on his
1992 debut as a leader for Criss Cross. He showed remarkable promise not
only in tenor sax work, but also on alto, soprano, bass clarinet and
alto flute. On this one he sticks to tenor and soprano, but his playing
is no less fluent and capable. An all-star lineup joins the former
Steely Dan and Joe Henderson sideman for this date: John Scofield on
guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. All four are
in top form for this album, which manages to be warm, smooth, inviting,
and adventurous all in one package.
Potter shows that he's been doing
his homework. "Wistful," the opening track, veers perilously close to
Coltrane Imitator Wasteland, but Potter skirts the edge of homage
without lapsing into slavish regurgitation. "Hieroglyph" recalls
Coltrane on soprano, complete with a tasty proto-world music ostinato
from Holland, but again, Potter's playing is fresh and involving. "Seven
Eleven," on the other hand, makes you wonder if Chris was digging into
his Ornette collection. Then "Amsterdam Blues" starts with an
unaccompanied tenor of such quality that I became sure I'd find some of
the works of Mr. Sonny Rollins over at Chris's house. Still and all,
Potter is a player of enormous talent who is already far along in
synthesizing these and other influences. This is a fine album, but I'll
bet I'll like his release of 2007 even better.
The highlight here
is "Et Tu, Brute?", the album's most striking track. Scofield
contributes some scalding guitar licks to a rhythmically complex workout
requiring some careful listening by the quartet. Of course, these guys
are old hands, and they come through. With no loss of energy, the lovely
title track follows, featuring some tasty arco by Holland and
passionate playing by everyone. "Time Zone" is as far out as this one
gets, with some remarkable variations of mood and tempo a free section
of great vigor. Potter is clearly the star here, proving he's worthy of
the company he keeps.
The legendary trumpeter Red Rodney loved
this "kid:" "This kid is exactly what I like to hear in a kid. He sucked
up everything like a sponge, but his sound is original; his
articulation is different from anybody; his harmonic knowledge is
profound." Red was right. The kid has a great tone, great chops, and by
the way, he wrote all the tunes. While this is relatively common these
days, Potter's tunes show a wealth of good sense, imagination, and care.
He's paid attention to architectonics, and it shows.
Unspoken
is a solid album from start to finish. The sidemen are top-notch
throughout, and the leader doesn't disappoint. I'll be interested to
check out Chris Potter's future work.
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.
Tracklist
1 Wistful 7:45
2 Seven Eleven 9:08
3 Hieroglyph 6:00
4 Amsterdam Blues 7:50
5 Et Tu, Bruté? 7:12
6 Unspoken 5:41
7 No Cigar 5:18
8 Time Zone 8:55
9 New Vision 7:11
Personnel:
Chris Potter Composer, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Jack DeJohnette Drums
Dave Holland Bass
John Scofield Guitar
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ReplyDeletethanks, going to see chris in trio format next month
ReplyDeleteWow cool, he's a great player!
ReplyDeleteLinks are gone, any chance for a re-up?
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ReplyDeleteKind regards and many thank 2u, Crimhead420.
DeleteThank you so much!
Deletehi crimhead420
ReplyDeletewould it be possible to refresh this link please?
best wishes!
New links!
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thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI have a few recordings with Potter as a sideman so I look forward to hearing what he's come up with as a leader. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteBrian