Chris Potter / Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard 2002, 2004,

Sunnyside

Review

by Thom Jurek

Chris Potter's new Live at the Village Vanguard album starts jarringly
enough. There is a particular knotty, unaccompanied solo saxophone
intro to drummer Bill Stewart's "7.5" played via tape delay by Potter on
seemingly three saxophones. He is joined by a series of freaky tones on
Kevin Hays' Fender Rhodes playing what sounds like the keys on a
telephone keypad to truly disorienting effect. Soon enough, however,
the ensemble kicks in to fill out the rhythm, Hays switches to piano,
and Potter brings the tune's melodic body into focus, swinging half-inhalf-out, tightrope walking around a series of scalar figures that
translate it into a wonderfully energetic ride. And this is merely the
statement of purpose for the entire gig. On the original material,
Potter's now truly unique voice on the tenor may have been influenced
in equal parts by Dewey Redman, John Coltrane, and even Sonny
Rollins, but his manner of phrasing and his distinct tone make him an
original on the horn. Potter is a harmonic whiz kid. On "What You
Wish," he and the quartet which also includes the amazing Scott
Colley on bass move through augmented phases and interludes,
evolving a melody into a modal concern in the breaks, and turning it
out multidimensionally. Hays piano solo moves from modal groove
exploration to Latin vamps to Bill Evans-styled harmonic extrapolation.
Potter enunciates the Latin tinge, and takes it all the way over into
streamlined post-bop with beautiful choruses. But then, as if the
entire gig was going to lift right off, Potter slows it down beautifully,
once again using his delay to introduce a spacey yet moving rendition
of "Stella by Starlight." For those offended by the use of a piece of
electronic gear in a live setting, this artifact that is part of the
saxophonist's arsenal will dispel some of those irritations because he
uses it so naturally and unaffectedly. When the band reaches back into
its own bag of tricks for the title track, the transformation is
complete: Potter and his quartet are taking the gift of post-bop jazz
and moving into new territories tonally, harmonically, and yes,
thankfully, lyrically. This is forward-thinking music that is full of
emotion, swing, and sophistication. It is readily accessible for anyone

willing to encounter it either historically or on its own terms. Lift is a

sharp, tough, and streetwise record of a fine gig played in a jazz
temple with aplomb and sass. It points in new directions and offers a
solid portrait of the artist as not only a strident voice, but as a
visionary as well. 4

Tracks
Title

Tim
e

1
2
3
4
5
6

7.5

Stewart

What You Wish

Potter
Stella by Starlight
Washington, Young
Lift
Potter
Okinawa
Potter
Boogie Stop Shuffle Sax
Potter
Intro
7
Boogie Stop Shuffle
Mingus
Carolyn Chrzan
Assistant Engineer
Scott Colley
Bass, Group Member
Kevin Hays
Piano, Fender Rhodes, Group Member
Louise Holland
Producer, Management
Jimmy Katz
Photography
David Oakes
Engineer, Mixing
Chris Potter
Sax (Tenor), Producer, Group Member
Daniel Richard
Executive Producer
Garrett Shelton
Release Coordinator
Post-Bop

Composer

14:57
13:51
7:16
11:58
9:15
4:13
15:09