Yes, it's a lot of notes, but they're uniquely his and always exciting, never stale. I've listened to everything this man has ever put out, and it's always fresh. The guy is incredibly imaginative. On top of that, his tonguing & rhythmic control are head and shoulders above his peers (redman, marsalis, alexander, turner, etc.) He is very special. If Jazz was as popular a genre as it was 50 years ago, this guy would be revered as much as Trane and Cannonball.
jodi183 Don't get me wrong, that is exactly the lesson you should take away from watching this video. But, it's called hyperbole and we all do it. So, I don't exactly appreciate you taking my honest joke in the literal sense. Kind of unnecessary. :T
I have a hard time understanding the hype about Chris Potter. Does he play theoretically fancy stuff? yes. But I don't like his sound, his taste and his feel. Emotionally and spiritually his music does not touch me at all.
When I hear Chris Potter playing his burning solos I am always wondering :"is there anything on this earth he cannot play?" Thank you Dean for the great post
My theory is that the sole individual who disliked this video just misses the way Potter sounded on his silver Super Action tenor. For that matter, so do I. But the playing is still insane.
@kylegeee "...he constantly is pushing the limits of the saxophone." I couldn't agree more! Every generation has its players who push the limits of what was previously thought possible on their respective instruments. Potter is certainly doing this today. I feel lucky to be alive at this time to experience it firsthand!
Think about the sax clicks and key work... It seems to be part of his keeping time. Those clicks go with his breath marks and phrasing... I may be wrong but I hear and see no movement wasted. This is where there doesn't seem to be a disconnect between his brain and body. I not into hero worship but just giving an observation on what I see and hear.
Hahaha! Those two guys sitting there just got OD radiated with gamma rays, x-rays and other burning stuff! Do you ever not hear the time or form? Sick. The other thing I was thinking that his horn is def working and his MP/reed thing is making him happy. In that whole clip maybe he only swallowed one or two notes, even when he is going berserk. Love his sound when he come back to the head, whew. This is the kind of stuff that makes RU-vid so great. Nice posting.
Saw him with McCoy Tyner last year. My ears were not yet open; I didn't notice his playing all that much. Probably the best sax player ever. Not the best musician to ever play the saxophone, but the best at the saxophone.
The usual - harmony - the three 251/4 bar tonal centres and the final 4 to A. Then rhythm - he's using a lot of swung 8 ths quite uptempo. download this and put it into Transcribe to slow it right down. You'll learn a lot...
Did you really think that is all he did for this workshop? You probably have never been to workshop or masterclass. They usually don't last a mere 11 minutes. This was probably his opening or ending performance to showcase his skills and validity of what he is talking about. The sorry part about this recording is the fact that the recorder didn't post the priceless information Chris Potter gave out to the audience. I am thankful for this video though. Priceless music and information given here.
its not his regular horn. He travels with the mark 6 and plays a silver super balanced action when he's on the east coast. it does sound like there're a few leaks on the low end and that he was playing on a stiff reed. been there done that. He's amazing nevertheless. agree with you on the rest though.
Thats....thats just not right. Thats just too much damn skill for any ONE person to have on saxophone, or any instrument. I mean dear lord. How do you improve on that? I saw him back in 2009 in North GA. My word he just destroyed it. The best part was that my chums and got to hang out with him afterwards and just pick his brain. He draws influence from EVERYTHING. At the time he was telling us he was diggin Willie Nelson. Incredible musician, not enough credit.
