Chris Potter - Underground Quartet '2006

Tracks list

Tracklist:

[9:40] 01. Chris Potter - Next Best Western
[5:41] 02. Chris Potter - Morning Bell
[9:54] 03. Chris Potter - Nudnik
[5:09] 04. Chris Potter - Lotus Blossom
[11:46] 05. Chris Potter - Big Top
[7:00] 06. Chris Potter - The Wheel
[6:28] 07. Chris Potter - Celestial Nomad
[11:04] 08. Chris Potter - Underground
[2:51] 09. Chris Potter - Yesterday

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ABOUT THE ALBUM
1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
Total length: 01:09:25
Main artist: Chris Potter
Composer: Various Composers
Label: Universal Music Division Decca Records France
Genre: Jazz
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
© 2006 Universal Music Jazz France
â„— 2006 Decca Records France

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, thats not an error: theres no bassist. The program is diverse,
featuring six Potter originals and some startling choices for covers: Billy
Strayhorns Lotus Blossom, Lennon and McCartneys 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, thats 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. Krantzs gently
pulsing guitar work and Taborns 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 Taborns strange illustrative tinkling around Potters melody. It feels so
nocturnal, but more like Sun Ra haunting the backdrop of the tune. Yes, thats 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. Its simply a lovely and a truly poetic read. Big Top plays with
different dynamic and thematic ideas, centered around the dancing pulse of
Smiths 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.
Krantzs chord fills and short runs during Potters 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 wont come close to appealing to everyone, but so what? Its a fine
Potter outing and studio documentation of a fine band that has actually kept the
jazz in fusion and vice versa.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo


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