Jazz Articles about Chris Potter

Chris Potter: Gratitude

by C. Andrew Hovan
June 1, 2001

Part of a triumvirate of heavy hitting young saxophonists that includes Joshua Redman and Eric Alexander, Chris Potter finally makes his major label debut on Verve with Gratitude. And while his track record via small label efforts for Criss Cross and Concord is without question, one always has to approach an artist’s first major label release with a bit of caution. On the surface, it’s positively clear that a “concept” is at work here. Fortunately, Potter’s homage to his inspirational ...

Chris Potter: Gratitude

by Jim Santella
June 1, 2001

With a like-minded quartet from jazz's mainstream, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter pays homage to saxophone masters John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Eddie Harris, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Ornette Coleman. Most are Potter's compositions. Thirty-year-old Potter has also penned one composition for past masters, as well as one for the current generation. It's a fresh tribute album that steers close enough to each artist's saxophone style without imitating. Potter's star is ...

Chris Potter: Gratitude

by David Adler
May 1, 2001

Chris Potter is probably the second most famous young tenor player working today, Joshua Redman being the clear numero uno. After releasing over a half-dozen albums for Criss Cross and Concord, Potter now makes the leap to a major label, Verve, with the excellent Gratitude. Jazz is a lethargic sales category, so major labels often like jazz artists to do concept albums — usually tributes to legends both living and dead — to attract the attention of otherwise ...

Joris Teepe: For Adults Only

by David Adler
September 1, 2000

With For Adults Only, Dutch bassist Joris Teepe adds to the steady flow of strong live albums being recorded at Smalls in New York. Enlisting David Hazeltine on piano, Bruce Cox on drums, and a killer frontline in Don Braden and Chris Potter, Teepe offers a batch of originals and standards with some provocative twists. The band sets Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge" to a mid-tempo, “Killer Joe"-type groove with tight ensemble hits on the melody. Hazeltine and Teepe share the spotlight ...

Joris Teepe Quintet: For Adults Only

by Jim Santella
September 1, 2000

The album’s title comes from Joris Teepe’s title track. “For Adults Only," a serious hard bop anthem, drives the listener through a strenuous tenor battle by the quintet’s two-saxophone front line. It’s a unique sound, and the propulsion from this rhythm section makes it work. Don Braden and Chris Potter have distinct saxophone voices, making it easier for the listener to identify each. Their conversation closes out “For Adults Only," as the duel turns into a riot. Similarly, Freddie Hubbard’s ...

Joris Teepe: For Adults Only

by Joel Roberts
August 1, 2000

Dutch-born bassist Joris Teepe lined up some of the most impressive young talent in New York for his debut release on the newly revived Postcards label. Recorded live at Small's, the late-night musicians' hangout in Greenwich Village, the album captures Teepe and a formidable front line of saxophonists Don Braden and Chris Potter, along with in-demand pianist David Hazeltine and drummer Bruce Cox, in a spirited set of up-to-the-minute New York jazz.

Teepe - a former student of Ron Carter ...

Joanne Brackeen: Pink Elephant Magic

by Glenn Astarita
May 1, 1999

One of the great pianist’s and unsung heroes in Modern Jazz returns in incendiary and dynamic fashion. Joanne Brackeen’s Pink Elephant Magic is stunning, articulate and easily one of the premier jazz recordings of 1999.

The title track and opener, “Pink Elephant Magic” is simply an outstanding composition! The complex and seemingly difficult to perform arrangement is multifaceted, cleverly orchestrated and superior in scope and altogether artfully constructed. Brackeen, with the assistance of Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Chris Potter (soprano sax) ...