Chris Potter - Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard

[Librarian]

Chris Potter is in such demand as a sideman that his career as a bandleader has been a little overshadowed. His duties touring and recording with the Dave Holland Quintet (which is pretty much booked until hell freezes over) chew up the majority of his time, but he’s managed to squeeze in some time to appear under his own name both live and on record.

This live record fits the bill on both counts with Potter’s regular band recorded live at the hallowed Village Vanguard. His band members include Scott Colley on bass, Kevin Hays on acoustic and electric piano and Bill Stewart on drums. The first song is a Potter original, “7.5” with Hays coming in on electronics, giving the song a disjointed feel, something akin to Jason Moran’s “Ringing My Phone (Straight Outta Istanbul)” from his live record last year – that was the song with the sampled electronic voices which gave the music a fractured feel much like the electronics do here. This is something of a nod to Potter’s excellent Traveling Mercies album which experimented with electronics.

After that, Hays stays on acoustic piano for the most part and things settle down to a solid modern jazz groove. This band has been together on and off as much as they can given everybody’s busy schedule and they’re pretty tight. Some members of the group have spent time with the Mingus Big Band including the leader and that experience pays off in their rendition of Mingus’ “Boogie Stop Shuffle” which originally appeared on the Mingus Ah-Um album. It starts here with Potter taking an a cappella tenor saxophone solo, which is quite a high wire act, soloing without the band. This lasts for about four minutes and then the band comes in blasting with an extended improvisation – Mingus would be proud.

All in all, this is an excellent live snapshot of a band on the rise. The music is first rate and the disc is recommended.

Music blog: http://jazzandblues.blogspot.com

[james harrigan]

hey Librarian, welcome to Jazzcorner (though I see you've been around a month or so). I like your reviews and we seem to have similar tastes - stick around, OK?

[Librarian]

Thanks James - I'm actually a longtime "lurker" (although I hate that term!) regularly reading posts for several years. I just recently worked up the courage to post - it can be a tough crowd around here!

[gnhrtg]

Librarian - I don't have this but is it not Bill Stewart on drums? Are there any other instances of uses of electronics throughout the album; and lastly does Kevin Hays solo on the majority of the tunes (and are they long or does he keep them short)? Oh, one more thing, how is the overall mood/groove, if there is one? Trying to decide whether I should spring for this. I definitely would if it were the trio without the keys/piano. Thanks.

[james harrigan]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

Trying to decide whether I should spring for this. I definitely would if it were the trio without the keys/piano. Thanks.

Scott Colley has a couple of CDs of this trio, one on Steeplechase and one on Arabesque. Both are smokin', as was the trio when I saw them a several years ago.

[Nate Dorward]

Why what's wrong with Kevin Hays? I actually liked him better than Potter when I saw this band live a few years back (sweltering outdoors gig in Toronto).

[gnhrtg]

Originally Posted by Nate Dorward

Why what's wrong with Kevin Hays? I actually liked him better than Potter when I saw this band live a few years back (sweltering outdoors gig in Toronto).

Nothing. I prefer the trio format with what I would call "dynamic" players like Potter; all the more so with the rhythm section, drum'n'bass, here. I will wait for a couple of opinions on this one to see if I can order while it's still on new-release sale (can't make it to the city anytime soon to go through listening-posts).

James - thank you, I will also look into one of those as well.

[jazzfiend]

Spring for it! You won't regret it. Potter is in great form, and the band is cooking (including Hays). I just love the rhythm boys: Colley & Stewart.
Gotta run, more later.

[Librarian]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

Librarian - I don't have this but is it not Bill Stewart on drums? Are there any other instances of uses of electronics throughout the album; and lastly does Kevin Hays solo on the majority of the tunes (and are they long or does he keep them short)? Oh, one more thing, how is the overall mood/groove, if there is one? Trying to decide whether I should spring for this. I definitely would if it were the trio without the keys/piano. Thanks.

Yup, Bill Stewart on drums... my bad. Hays sticks mostly to the (acoustic) piano, if the keyboards aren't you're thing. The groove for me is just straight-ahead mainstream jazz, nice stuff... the band is tight, sound is good, but like James said, if you'd rather go with the trio, look under Colley's name, those discs are excellent also.

[james harrigan]

I'll probably get this at some point. It's striking that Potter has moved from Verve to Sunnyside, just as Mark Turner has left Warner Brothers for Savoy. It seems to me that there's a niche here for a good independent label to record guys like these, interesting younger mainstream players who used to record for the majors. Sunnyside seems to be gearing up these days, maybe they'll be the one.

[gnhrtg]

Originally Posted by jazzfiend

Spring for it! You won't regret it. Potter is in great form, and the band is cooking (including Hays). I just love the rhythm boys: Colley & Stewart.
Gotta run, more later.

Thank you (and Librarian, too). I looked around the web today for all the short samples I could find, and yes, looks like I will get this one along with Sco's new one.

[jazzy mary]

Originally Posted by james harrigan

I'll probably get this at some point. It's striking that Potter has moved from Verve to Sunnyside, just as Mark Turner has left Warner Brothers for Savoy. It seems to me that there's a niche here for a good independent label to record guys like these, interesting younger mainstream players who used to record for the majors. Sunnyside seems to be gearing up these days, maybe they'll be the one.

I'll wager that these guys didn't so much "move" as that that Verve and WB didn't renew their contracts. Most of these "major" record label deals are crocks. It was the vogue a few years ago to contract the "hot" new players and then they made an album--maybe it sold (most likely not--not more than a few thousand as jazz albums do) and then if they had a two record deal, the label wants them to do the same thing--or worse some "theme-y" , cross-over deal. And then, when the artists invariably can't do that they get the ax. I've mentioned D.D. Jackson's article, over and over, about his experioences of being signed to RCA. But, I still think it's some of the best writing I've seen and he articulates perfectly the hell of a record deal. It's utterly fascinating writing. Long story short, as far as I can see none of the major labels, and with Norah Jones and Wynton being their "jazz" stars, I'd have to include Blue Note in there, record jazz any more. Jazz is being recorded and distributed (sortof) by labels like Criss Cross, Sharp Nine, Palmetto, Omnitone etc. Major labels don't even bother anymore.

[crawjo]

Blue Note still has a few legitimate jazz artists...Greg Osby comes to mind.

[james harrigan]

Originally Posted by crawjo

Blue Note still has a few legitimate jazz artists...Greg Osby comes to mind.

and Joe Lovano and Stefon Harris, all of whom have new releases out. And like him or not, there is no question that Wynton is a "legitimate jazz artist". Not to mention recent releases by Ron Carter, Bill Charlap, and Jason Moran.

but aside from Blue Note, the major labels have almost completely left the jazz business, and even BN seems to be shrinking - when was the last time they signed someone new (other than Wynton)?

[jazzy mary]

crawjo, James, you guys are right about Blue Note. Mea culpa, I didn't think of all those artists you mentioned. They don't seem to be signing any new, great talent though.

[Gary Sisco]

I agree with Jazzy. DD's article should be required reading for all jazz people, listeners and musicians alike. The hell with the majors. I think it will be a good thing for the music when they're out of the picture altogether as far as new music goes.

[mke]

I'm surprised no-one has simply called this one what it is: just a hot blowing session. It's good, but there's not much more to it than that.

I find the electronics on 7.5 extremely random and weird rather than "giving the song a disjointed feel." I can't see any connection with Moran, unless what's on Moran's album is very different from what I heard live.

There's a great sax-drums duo that really turns up the heat, early in the album.

The solo sax intro is very nice too. It's the kind of ego-driven, "doing it because I can" thing that seems to have driven the egoless people away, but us jazz fans still see it as heroic, I guess.

[crawjo]

Gary of Jazzy, can you give me a citation for that D.D. Jackson article? I'm interested in checking it out.

[mke]

Originally Posted by crawjo

Gary of Jazzy, can you give me a citation for that D.D. Jackson article? I'm interested in checking it out.

It's in a frame on his site (confusingly, under "Travel Diary"), but the direct link is http://ddjackson.com/new1_ridingthewave.htm

[crawjo]

Originally Posted by mke

It's in a frame on his site (confusingly, under "Travel Diary"), but the direct link is http://ddjackson.com/new1_ridingthewave.htm

Thanks.

[Nate Dorward]

Incidentally, Potter's current touring band is hot stuff indeed: just caught them in Toronto. Craig Taborn on the Fender Rhodes, Wayne Krantz on guitar, Nate Smith on drums (no bassist). Now that's a band they should record live.