Search - Chris Potter :: Vertigo

A Great Album

Anthony Reed | Ithaca, NY | 05/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those familiar with Chris Potter, either from his work in Paul Motian's group, in Dave Douglas's quartet, or recently in Dave Holland's Quintet can probably guess what I'm going to say. This album follows closely upon the previous album, _Unspoken_, which featured an all-star lineup and the same instrumentation, guitar, bass, drums, and saxophone. These players, including Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, Billy Drummond on drums and Joe Lovano guesting on three songs, while less renowned, are perfectly suited to Potter's music. I believe this was his working band at the time and it shows--they seem to share an almost intuitive feel for his music. They understand the paradox of his playing, now in now out, now melodic now exploring alternate harmonies. The title track is emblematic of his music as a whole, shifting, daring, inventive. In a word, thrilling. The album is decidedly modern in its sensibilities, which might turn some listeners off, particularly those who want jazz they can relax to. However, no matter what your tastes, you'd find a remarkable player (who keeps getting better) in a format that suits him with players near the top of their game. I put it alongside Dave Holland's _Points of View_ for best album of 1998 and recommend it strongly to anyone interested in modern jazz and all its complexities and paradoxes."

Tastefully executed music.

Douglas T Martin | Alpharetta, GA USA | 06/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Previously I had only heard Chris Potter as a sideman with Dave Douglas and others; until a friend recommended this recording I had not realized he was so well-represented as a leader. Although Potter plays piano and bass clarinet on a couple of tracks, for the most part the line up is sax, guitar, bass, and drums. Similar in vein to Scofield with Lovano (who guests on this recording), Konitz with Abercrombie, and the Joe Henderson masterpiece "So Near, So Far(Musings for Miles)". Good songs and very good performances."