why is it so hard to find clips of the quintet playing full songs ? or to find album versions...i have been searching foreverrr to no avail. anybody else find something? Well i guess i should just buy the album haha but in the meantime....
My son is a young sax player who studies Chris Potter's solos religiously. We have heard him play live three different times with a range of jazz styles, especially at the Newport Jazz Festival, where he sat in with three combos in one afternoon. Chris can play anything fast or slow, soft or loud, with incredible power, energy, intelligence. This combo with Holland, Eubanks was so amazing I could not believe my good fortune to be sitting there soaking it in. Thanks for posting it.
if your thinking of music like a business then you still just dont get it. "pulling the plug" doesnt affect anybody who is in it for the right reasons. Record deal or no record deal he still has his sax at the end of the day. Some of the best musicians play on the streets without a penny to their name. That's the beauty of it. And fyi running a business on ebay hardly accounts to much. I ran a landscaping company that generated 500,000+ annually but i don't go around flaunting it.
You are so indicative of this current generation that thinks they know more than anyone else. You're what 18!!! and you're an expert on everything that is jazz, not to mention the entire music business? Great jazz has always been complex, and demanding of the listener. The best horn players of today like Potter, Alexander, Binney, McCaslin just as Coltrane and Parker before them, balance soul with technique and harmonic depth.
maybe you should study under someone alot older than you. it could really do you some good. Then maybe you'll understand the true meaning of the "survival" of any one particular genre. meanwhile I'm done conversing with you on a topic that you cant quite comprehend yet and im going to go hit up some jazz bars on bourbon st. check it out some time.
wow, every one here is going way too far into this. chris potter is badass period. if you want structure go listen to bach, if you want soul go listen to d'angelo and go about your business. If you'll were so musically "learned" you would post post a video response of you personally playing something better. surprise me
Also I think its extremely ignorant to say his playing isn't soulful or from the heart. He probably puts his entire self into everything he plays. How would you feel if someone told you that something that is essentially you is just a technical exercise?
saxobone13--But what you're saying is indicative of the way so many jazz players feel today and is the main reason why jazz is withering on the vine. And that's that too many jazz players now play for themselves or other jazz musicians. It's become so technique/theory-heavy and so much about impressing other musicians in that vein that there is very little left to hook non-musicians. The problem is that jazz cannot survive if only other jazz musicians are buying the CDs and going to jazz shows.
That said, it's quite obvious that he "puts everything into what he plays," but it seems like it's more from the standpoint of what a boxer puts into a fight or an Olympic swimmer puts into a sprint-in other words, the result is more akin to the physical workout that such technical exercises demand rather than a deeply soulful performance. In short, it's possible to put yourself into it until your fingers bleed and still not have soul and the ability to connect emotionally with an audience.
I can totally see how some people might hear Chris as a walking technical exercises. I myself had a hard time listening to him when I first heard him, it was too much to take in. But over time I've noticed even(or especially) in his faster lines there is always a melody. Listen to where he puts his accents. I think the reason it may not sound melodic to some is because his concept of melody is EXTREMELY advanced.
You ignorant fool. Go see Chris Potter live and tell me it doesn't speak to you. His music is truly changing if you (and all others as musically blind) would just listen. No one's saying you need to know advanced harmony to see what he's really doing, it's just that people who study music usually try to involve themselves in what they're hearing, rather than waiting for something catchy.
Showing off? Oh i see now, you were one of those kids in high school who couldn't stand it when other people were better than you. Saying that the music doesn't have soul is just really a cover up for you be downright jealous of someone who is just badass at what they do. And btw, anyone can sit and type a response to a video and be the ultimate "critic". Like I said, post a video of you playing something "soulful" for the world to see and then maybe your opinion would count.
Firstly, you can't possil judge Chris Potter from this video clip. Terrible sound quality, and from the middle of the solo? The only reason it's not speaking is cause it's got a muffle on it. Secondly, no self respecting jazz musician shows off anymore. The whole pursuit of jazz is to relate to an audience on a deep and intellectual and unexpcted way. Bill Evans' "Peace Piece" is a prime example.
If you really think sales is in anyway related to the success of a genre then you have alot to learn mr. 18 yr old. If your concerned with the marketability of music then go listen to the Jonas Brothers. Actually, you just proved my point with what's wrong with your generation. Gross profit does not equal musical quality. If that were the case then Young Jeezy is a hell of a damn musician. The greats didnt give a shit who liked their music or for that matter who was going to buy it.
In this case getting it implied that you got emotionally connected to the music. In the future you should avoid telling people what they're saying and actually think about what they mean, and quit trying to sound smarter than you are you just look like a pretentious douche.
does prior knowledge in your example mean "a priori" or is it different? I wonder what we could do with a posteriori knowledge. Conclude that music exists without sense perception! Actually there is empiricist view of music as well, the one that Glenn Gould critisizes.
This song is off of a Dave Holland album called Critical Masses. If you're looking for Chris Potter albums, I recommend Gratitude, Underground, and Follow the Red Line - Live at the Village Vanguard.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Square as a rubic's cube......all you academic musicians are missing the point of what this music is supposed to do - connect to the souls of poeple. If this guy is the future of jazz, the music is in serious trouble - unless the human race becomes computer based life forms overnight. Great harmonic stuff, intellectually stimulating - but this guy is "talkin' loud and saying nothing". And you wonder why musicians have to fight over $25 dollar gigs.......
I'm sorry that this isn't Bix Beiderbecke man. Also, like it's been said before, this is a minute clip from the APEX of Chris' solo. The song this is from is called "Vicissitudes" and it is on Dave Holland's album "Critical Masses". It is a Chris Potter original tune and if you listen to it, you can hear his melodicism and sense of soul.
The mere fact that you can make a comment like that based on a 59 second clip really shows your ignorance.
the album is "Critical Mass." I don't want to point out the mistake, but since you did it more than once, it felt necessary. Thanks for uploading this.
@Lordjaz1906 And for anyone who's missed it, check out Chris Potter's brilliant playing on a host of Steely Dan albums. His solo on West of Hollywood is legendary...
@Lordjaz1906 Rubick's cubes aren't squares. They're cubes, 3-dimensional objects. It's not the job of the musician to make YOU think. it's their job to put out their thoughts. Your job is to process it, and if that's what you're getting out of this, then it's your fault, not his.
lol, love the term "walking shredfest".. and Potter kind of *is* a walking shredfest, and not in a bad way - it's just that he's so much more than that too.
He has so much soul in his playing. I feel bad for the people posting on here who can't hear that - you guys are missing out!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I am not feeling any soul in what he is playing HERE. I don't care how technically proficient it is--It sounds like a sax being played by an animatronic robot at a theme park. But even so, he still ends up coming off as a show-off--so there is that human element to it. Plus the tone is harsh--not beautiful like a sax should be; the exact opposite of Getz or Zoot--who played with soul, and made the sax sound beautiful just like it should.
Well, at least I don't live in Canada. How's the jazz scene up there, anyway? ;-) But I do live in a city where Chris Potter and most other big names in jazz still perform at least once a year.
Nice typing, my friend. So are you saying Zoot Sims is boring? Even when plastered I think he still had more soul than Potter in his little finger....
I think he's going for a harsh tone here. Listen to the comping behind him; this isn't a ballad. It's not big band. It's intense, fast, and atonal, and Potter is soloing to fit the mood of the song.
Also, micing a saxophone makes it sound harsher because it only picks up a fraction of the sound of the saxophone. While brass project forward, the saxophone is more like a radius of sound, with different portions of this sphere sounding different. By micing the bell, you get a harsher tone.
Can't he play the sax the way he feels like playing it at the moment?
You are entitled to find this work aesthetically unappealing, but the word "should" implies that there is some boundary, and playing like this seem actually illegal to you.
I can see this is very skillfull, but to me it just doesn't sound good. Can someone please tell me why everyone are such big fans of players like chris and coltrane?
With regard to all of these comments criticizing Chris' "lack of musicality", "melody", etc.. You need to consider the context of this 1 minute clip. Potter's solos can go on for 6-7 minutes. The point being that the technical flurry that precedes the blues lick is not indicative of the rest of his solo. You could take part of a Joshua Redman solo out of context and make Redman look like he doesn't play melodically or employ the blues.
@dvmtb13 And really... how can you miss the musicality here in the first place? Regardless of context/length, it's clearly brilliant. Impeccably "musical".
i understand people like different kinds of music but dont you think hes just a walking technical exercise, who like showing off. im not saying hess not an extremely talented sax player but i don't think he plays at all musically
It does sound almost like a technical exercise at that speed. And in that I guess its hard to get inspired from it if you dont listen to jazz often. But accept it for what it is, not what hes thinking. Thats a pretty fast speed to do anything really "interesting". But I think its awesome, listen to all that tension built up and then at 0.37 it breaks open. But youre right! If it sounds good it is good. In your case you just dont like this. i do. the end
I can't speak for others, but for me, "sounding" good (as far as tone, effects, style) is simple after a while of practice and developing a good embouchure. it's the technical stuff that takes a lot of work, and that's is most impressive. It's understandable that playing more catchy or as you put it "musically" will be more ear-friendly to the average person. But it's the technical exercises that will make you more respected as a musician.
If you're a jazz musician, usually technical stuff will be what the heart wants, because once they learn to develop it, they'll be able to express themselves much more fluidly..it's like a language. When you grow, and learn to speak more intelligent words, you're not showing off; you're using them as a tool to communicate whatever you want to communicate but in a more clear, interesting way.
LIsten to Miles Davis on "So What." It's one of the most well known tracks from one of the most important records in jazz history, and how does Miles play over it? Completely melodically...in fact, Miles very rarely played extremely technically in his solos, but he really poured his heart into them which is what made him great.
Also, I'm not saying that Potter isn't a musical player - this clip doesn't portray him very accurately at all. Listen to his solos in context, and he is brilliant!
i understand people like different kinds of music but dont you think hes just a walking technical exercise, who like showing off. im not saying hess not an extremely talented sax player but i don't think he plays at all musically
I hear in Potter's way of playing the whole lesson of the 60s' "new thing" music,including Coltrane,Coleman,Dolphy,etc.
I think that his solos,so extremely complicated,melodically and rhythmically,are his way to reach a further level of expression,relating to the improvised music.
I'm not saying that there isn't ANY narcisistic component in his overflowing solos;sometimes it could happen,in a so talented musician.But I think it's a minority component of his music.
again though, giant steps is another technical exersice. im not saying i dont love giant steps or some of the things chris potter does but i just think that he's more a competetive player to who speed is every thing where as players like kenny garret can offtern go a hole solo with out playing fast but still manage to musically move an audience
giant steps is not a technical exercise. i think youre probably just regurgitating someone else's opinion you heard in hopes to sound smart. you should probably just listen to more chris potter records before you talk trash about him
Have you heard Potter's playing with Dave Douglas? very musical.
Also, Giant Steps is not a "technical exercise," or really an "exercise" at all when properly understood. If characterized as an exercise than it is a "harmonic" exercise, since it enables a players to hear new harmonies and melodies over chord progressions rather than improving their raw technique.
yeah. that album really is just mindblowing. even if you're someone who thinks he just plays "noise" (which only juvenile ears would), that album is amazing.
Yeah Chris Potters is one bad kat. If any of u have not already heard you should check out his album "Follow the redline, live at the Village Vanguard", the album is ridculously sick. But I must say this isn't the best clip of chris potters playing, I heard better.
FYI, it was recorded on a DIGITAL CAMERA, not even a video recorder. I just used the movie function to document as little as I could on the camera's internal memory.
The reason he sounds like a machine is because of his mastery of the instrument and of his complete certainty of what to play. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing".
It's hilarious that people with no knowledge of jazz or music in general, and no ears will make such funny comments about what they think someone's playing. No shithead, something might have an up and down shape but that doesn't make it a scale.
It's crazy how over the years he keeps getting better and better. His technique is second to none and it's amazing how much higher he's setting the bar. A true tenor master and musical innovator.
It's not the question if that running scales is difficult or what ever ... it's the question what effect it does. And I think Chris Potter is such a great musician who has so much musical experience that he can really express so much in his solos.
The person that said he's runnining scales might've missed that he's playing mostly arpeggios. I can see preffering something different (not really, but some people do), but to say that this is "not particularly difficult" just displays a lack of familiarity with playing saxophone. Traversing those kind of leaps is extremely difficult, and there are not many that can do it. Whether or not you dig Chris's playing, he's a force to be reckoned with.
my instrument is the guitar, yet chris potter is one of my favourite musicians of all times!!
you can notice he's completly in what he's doing! the tnsion he creates in the end (few others can do this so well) has everything to do with his body movements, you can almost see in his face what he's gonna play! I think it teachs us much about tension, intention and concentration:)!! I just love to wcht this movie once and once again..
if chris plays with wayne, for sure wayne is good!
..I dont know him very well, however I think chris the best:)!! I was not particulary interested in wayne but now you tell me he is one of your favourite..I'll listen to more wayne things! by the way, one of my favourite guitar players is Andre Fernandes! every one should know him! (and probably will some day..:))
that will be kind of difficult.. I'm from portugal and I dont even know if I'll ever visit usa! I'm dwloading some krantz cd's.. god bless the internet:)
Chris Potter is hands down the most creative melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic saxophonist and jazz musician out there today. Period. Not to mention his stellar tone quality. Are we all listening to the same clip? There is so much more then scale material..and the material he uses is very complex. His rhythmic choices are mind boggling. WTF people?
1. Checked out Masato Honda's clips- they are all of him on an EWI or playing with a KPop artist- this speaks volumes as to his stature as a modern jazz musician. point- never call Chris Potter a clown ever again.
2. His "bodily movements" in this clip are out of necessity to accomodate awkward fingerings at high speeds.
3. He is not just "running scales"- this comment is the product of an untrained ear that simply hears melodic contours, a blurring so to speak of the actually notes.
you guys have to grow up and stop thinking of music as a pissing competition or is it about the size of your penises??? Really this is just good playing and who cares who you compare it to
thanks to the cosmic rain for posting it ...pitty it could not be longer
He's running scales. It's a lot of fun to do, but it's not particularly difficult. He does have fast fingers. The man is certainly talented. I'm just not overwhelmed.
us saxophonists tend too play just too many damn notes....its just too easy of an instrument!
nyshoefly 1 month ago
hes awesome but sometimes it just feels like hes playing all over the top of the band without any communication with them.
nyshoefly 1 month ago
Yeah I seen this band DH with potter from conception to now.
Well it is certainly live music for sure.Whether you dig it or not this guy potter is one hell of a tenor player.
I think DH is music is very much a live thing in the sense it doesn't always come over on disc.
For the muso it demands your undivided attention.It is a question of taste right.
Many years ago I hung out with band when S Coleman and S-Smith was in it .
Dave Holland is really nice guy,he's cool, like all the greats.
sopwithcamels266 7 months ago
why is it so hard to find clips of the quintet playing full songs ? or to find album versions...i have been searching foreverrr to no avail. anybody else find something? Well i guess i should just buy the album haha but in the meantime....
lovelymoonmelody 9 months ago
fuck......
iialves 1 year ago
My son is a young sax player who studies Chris Potter's solos religiously. We have heard him play live three different times with a range of jazz styles, especially at the Newport Jazz Festival, where he sat in with three combos in one afternoon. Chris can play anything fast or slow, soft or loud, with incredible power, energy, intelligence. This combo with Holland, Eubanks was so amazing I could not believe my good fortune to be sitting there soaking it in. Thanks for posting it.
missionimprovisation 1 year ago
why did my comment get removed? how odd. I can't imagine I was saying anything other than "Chris Potter is badass".
goddamnrocknroll 1 year ago
Chris Potter is the giant of this generation. But then again we are lucky to also have Seamus Blake and Joel Frahm. Those three kill!!!!
jputterman26 1 year ago
Great clip, wish there was more!
Wow the coffee shop intellectuals are all over this one...for shame.
Beauxdeauxfinglok 1 year ago
Is this Ah Rio?
tjc197 1 year ago
How Redman and Alexander ever beat him out in the Monk competition is beyond me...he completely outclasses them.
goddamnityoupieceof 2 years ago 13
ever hear is solo on the first suite on the overtime album...good effin god this man is the truth
saxcrazy89 2 years ago 2
Hm, it doesn´t touch me...
MAnuciao79 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
if your thinking of music like a business then you still just dont get it. "pulling the plug" doesnt affect anybody who is in it for the right reasons. Record deal or no record deal he still has his sax at the end of the day. Some of the best musicians play on the streets without a penny to their name. That's the beauty of it. And fyi running a business on ebay hardly accounts to much. I ran a landscaping company that generated 500,000+ annually but i don't go around flaunting it.
dmcrisp 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
You are so indicative of this current generation that thinks they know more than anyone else. You're what 18!!! and you're an expert on everything that is jazz, not to mention the entire music business? Great jazz has always been complex, and demanding of the listener. The best horn players of today like Potter, Alexander, Binney, McCaslin just as Coltrane and Parker before them, balance soul with technique and harmonic depth.
jazzshredder 2 years ago
maybe you should study under someone alot older than you. it could really do you some good. Then maybe you'll understand the true meaning of the "survival" of any one particular genre. meanwhile I'm done conversing with you on a topic that you cant quite comprehend yet and im going to go hit up some jazz bars on bourbon st. check it out some time.
dmcrisp 2 years ago
wow, every one here is going way too far into this. chris potter is badass period. if you want structure go listen to bach, if you want soul go listen to d'angelo and go about your business. If you'll were so musically "learned" you would post post a video response of you personally playing something better. surprise me
dmcrisp 2 years ago
What's wrong with elitism? So I like accurate information and providing people with the same. Sue me.
If i wanted to come off as a dick, I would have said, "It's Critical Mass you cock sucker," or something along those lines.
Saxyman14 2 years ago
Also I think its extremely ignorant to say his playing isn't soulful or from the heart. He probably puts his entire self into everything he plays. How would you feel if someone told you that something that is essentially you is just a technical exercise?
saxobone13 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
saxobone13--But what you're saying is indicative of the way so many jazz players feel today and is the main reason why jazz is withering on the vine. And that's that too many jazz players now play for themselves or other jazz musicians. It's become so technique/theory-heavy and so much about impressing other musicians in that vein that there is very little left to hook non-musicians. The problem is that jazz cannot survive if only other jazz musicians are buying the CDs and going to jazz shows.
soulconcern 2 years ago
That said, it's quite obvious that he "puts everything into what he plays," but it seems like it's more from the standpoint of what a boxer puts into a fight or an Olympic swimmer puts into a sprint-in other words, the result is more akin to the physical workout that such technical exercises demand rather than a deeply soulful performance. In short, it's possible to put yourself into it until your fingers bleed and still not have soul and the ability to connect emotionally with an audience.
soulconcern 2 years ago
I can totally see how some people might hear Chris as a walking technical exercises. I myself had a hard time listening to him when I first heard him, it was too much to take in. But over time I've noticed even(or especially) in his faster lines there is always a melody. Listen to where he puts his accents. I think the reason it may not sound melodic to some is because his concept of melody is EXTREMELY advanced.
saxobone13 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
You ignorant fool. Go see Chris Potter live and tell me it doesn't speak to you. His music is truly changing if you (and all others as musically blind) would just listen. No one's saying you need to know advanced harmony to see what he's really doing, it's just that people who study music usually try to involve themselves in what they're hearing, rather than waiting for something catchy.
TheDionysiac 2 years ago
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soulconcern 2 years ago
Showing off? Oh i see now, you were one of those kids in high school who couldn't stand it when other people were better than you. Saying that the music doesn't have soul is just really a cover up for you be downright jealous of someone who is just badass at what they do. And btw, anyone can sit and type a response to a video and be the ultimate "critic". Like I said, post a video of you playing something "soulful" for the world to see and then maybe your opinion would count.
dmcrisp 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
Firstly, you can't possil judge Chris Potter from this video clip. Terrible sound quality, and from the middle of the solo? The only reason it's not speaking is cause it's got a muffle on it. Secondly, no self respecting jazz musician shows off anymore. The whole pursuit of jazz is to relate to an audience on a deep and intellectual and unexpcted way. Bill Evans' "Peace Piece" is a prime example.
TheDionysiac 2 years ago
If you really think sales is in anyway related to the success of a genre then you have alot to learn mr. 18 yr old. If your concerned with the marketability of music then go listen to the Jonas Brothers. Actually, you just proved my point with what's wrong with your generation. Gross profit does not equal musical quality. If that were the case then Young Jeezy is a hell of a damn musician. The greats didnt give a shit who liked their music or for that matter who was going to buy it.
dmcrisp 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
He is connecting with us emotionally. You just don't get it, which is fine.
Sunderlanding 2 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
In this case getting it implied that you got emotionally connected to the music. In the future you should avoid telling people what they're saying and actually think about what they mean, and quit trying to sound smarter than you are you just look like a pretentious douche.
Sunderlanding 2 years ago
ha, ditto. well done sir
dmcrisp 2 years ago
does prior knowledge in your example mean "a priori" or is it different? I wonder what we could do with a posteriori knowledge. Conclude that music exists without sense perception! Actually there is empiricist view of music as well, the one that Glenn Gould critisizes.
pyromohanzed 2 years ago
pure, unadulterated genius.
AndrewMcIntosh 2 years ago
my dear jesus
wtmb430 2 years ago
Too bad there's just a minute. I definitively have to check chris potter out, this one sounds good to me but I just know the guy name. Thx 4 sharing
trojanlol 2 years ago 4
This song is off of a Dave Holland album called Critical Masses. If you're looking for Chris Potter albums, I recommend Gratitude, Underground, and Follow the Red Line - Live at the Village Vanguard.
thecosmicrain 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Square as a rubic's cube......all you academic musicians are missing the point of what this music is supposed to do - connect to the souls of poeple. If this guy is the future of jazz, the music is in serious trouble - unless the human race becomes computer based life forms overnight. Great harmonic stuff, intellectually stimulating - but this guy is "talkin' loud and saying nothing". And you wonder why musicians have to fight over $25 dollar gigs.......
Lordjaz1906 2 years ago
I'm sorry that this isn't Bix Beiderbecke man. Also, like it's been said before, this is a minute clip from the APEX of Chris' solo. The song this is from is called "Vicissitudes" and it is on Dave Holland's album "Critical Masses". It is a Chris Potter original tune and if you listen to it, you can hear his melodicism and sense of soul.
The mere fact that you can make a comment like that based on a 59 second clip really shows your ignorance.
thecosmicrain 2 years ago 8
the album is "Critical Mass." I don't want to point out the mistake, but since you did it more than once, it felt necessary. Thanks for uploading this.
Saxyman14 2 years ago
@Lordjaz1906 And for anyone who's missed it, check out Chris Potter's brilliant playing on a host of Steely Dan albums. His solo on West of Hollywood is legendary...
SeaPower 1 year ago
@Lordjaz1906 Your telling me that :35 onwards is saying nothing?
potatomasta 1 year ago
@Lordjaz1906 Rubick's cubes aren't squares. They're cubes, 3-dimensional objects. It's not the job of the musician to make YOU think. it's their job to put out their thoughts. Your job is to process it, and if that's what you're getting out of this, then it's your fault, not his.
Bebopopotamus 4 months ago
Potter fa paura!!
Ritmi incredibili annessi ad un armonia paurosa!
The Best
p3pp3s4x 2 years ago
this cat is the fo' shizzle
Soulnik 2 years ago
lol, love the term "walking shredfest".. and Potter kind of *is* a walking shredfest, and not in a bad way - it's just that he's so much more than that too.
He has so much soul in his playing. I feel bad for the people posting on here who can't hear that - you guys are missing out!
goddamnrocknroll 3 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I am not feeling any soul in what he is playing HERE. I don't care how technically proficient it is--It sounds like a sax being played by an animatronic robot at a theme park. But even so, he still ends up coming off as a show-off--so there is that human element to it. Plus the tone is harsh--not beautiful like a sax should be; the exact opposite of Getz or Zoot--who played with soul, and made the sax sound beautiful just like it should.
soulconcern 2 years ago
soulconern is boring
clashxb600 2 years ago
if you wanna listen to soul and not jazz..check out richard elliot...he definately isn't technical so don't worry
RogerSquawk 2 years ago
AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You've gotta be kidding.
Saxyman14 2 years ago
Well, at least I don't live in Canada. How's the jazz scene up there, anyway? ;-) But I do live in a city where Chris Potter and most other big names in jazz still perform at least once a year.
soulconcern 2 years ago
Nice typing, my friend. So are you saying Zoot Sims is boring? Even when plastered I think he still had more soul than Potter in his little finger....
soulconcern 2 years ago
Listen to Chris play a ballad. Unbeatable.
Saxyman14 2 years ago
I think he's going for a harsh tone here. Listen to the comping behind him; this isn't a ballad. It's not big band. It's intense, fast, and atonal, and Potter is soloing to fit the mood of the song.
Also, micing a saxophone makes it sound harsher because it only picks up a fraction of the sound of the saxophone. While brass project forward, the saxophone is more like a radius of sound, with different portions of this sphere sounding different. By micing the bell, you get a harsher tone.
HEYMYNAMEISCARL 2 years ago
Can't he play the sax the way he feels like playing it at the moment?
You are entitled to find this work aesthetically unappealing, but the word "should" implies that there is some boundary, and playing like this seem actually illegal to you.
Beauxdeauxfinglok 2 years ago
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goddamnrocknroll 3 years ago
Some of that sounds like tapping shred guitar. What planet is this guy from?
FaaarLeft 3 years ago
chris potter is a genius
zenbassie03 3 years ago
like wonton said
you cant understand whats goin on and its complicated... kinda like when you hear an inside joke you dont know about
and.... if the video was played from the beginning of the tune, itd probly be easier to get.
jjandjunior 3 years ago
I can see this is very skillfull, but to me it just doesn't sound good. Can someone please tell me why everyone are such big fans of players like chris and coltrane?
borteek 3 years ago
Not musical? your having a laugh! Potter delivers on every level imho probably the best tenor horn out there today...amen
fluidjazz 3 years ago
...and Joe Lovano, amen
cyclejazz 3 years ago
With regard to all of these comments criticizing Chris' "lack of musicality", "melody", etc.. You need to consider the context of this 1 minute clip. Potter's solos can go on for 6-7 minutes. The point being that the technical flurry that precedes the blues lick is not indicative of the rest of his solo. You could take part of a Joshua Redman solo out of context and make Redman look like he doesn't play melodically or employ the blues.
dvmtb13 3 years ago 11
@dvmtb13 And really... how can you miss the musicality here in the first place? Regardless of context/length, it's clearly brilliant. Impeccably "musical".
Beauxdeauxfinglok 1 year ago
outa control!!
drummerob92 3 years ago
i wont tell u all if its good or not - all of you should know that`s good - ain`t it?
why is this footage so short? thats an issue what we can talk about
stanondrums 3 years ago
I didn't have my memory card, and this was the longest amount of time that the internal memory had. Sorry.
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
i understand people like different kinds of music but dont you think hes just a walking technical exercise, who like showing off. im not saying hess not an extremely talented sax player but i don't think he plays at all musically
Superdry1302 3 years ago
haahaha.
jazzcombo251 3 years ago
It does sound almost like a technical exercise at that speed. And in that I guess its hard to get inspired from it if you dont listen to jazz often. But accept it for what it is, not what hes thinking. Thats a pretty fast speed to do anything really "interesting". But I think its awesome, listen to all that tension built up and then at 0.37 it breaks open. But youre right! If it sounds good it is good. In your case you just dont like this. i do. the end
Dave00789 3 years ago
I can't speak for others, but for me, "sounding" good (as far as tone, effects, style) is simple after a while of practice and developing a good embouchure. it's the technical stuff that takes a lot of work, and that's is most impressive. It's understandable that playing more catchy or as you put it "musically" will be more ear-friendly to the average person. But it's the technical exercises that will make you more respected as a musician.
barisaxFREEJAZZ 3 years ago
so really ure saying music should be about showiing off, not telling a story or playing from the heart.
Superdry1302 3 years ago
If you're a jazz musician, usually technical stuff will be what the heart wants, because once they learn to develop it, they'll be able to express themselves much more fluidly..it's like a language. When you grow, and learn to speak more intelligent words, you're not showing off; you're using them as a tool to communicate whatever you want to communicate but in a more clear, interesting way.
barisaxFREEJAZZ 3 years ago
LIsten to Miles Davis on "So What." It's one of the most well known tracks from one of the most important records in jazz history, and how does Miles play over it? Completely melodically...in fact, Miles very rarely played extremely technically in his solos, but he really poured his heart into them which is what made him great.
Also, I'm not saying that Potter isn't a musical player - this clip doesn't portray him very accurately at all. Listen to his solos in context, and he is brilliant!
tehXnotlocity 3 years ago
Comment removed
soulconcern 2 years ago
I really think Chris Potter's maybe the best jazz sax player in activity.. love his music.. especially with the dave holland quintet!!
JaimeSax99 3 years ago
i understand people like different kinds of music but dont you think hes just a walking technical exercise, who like showing off. im not saying hess not an extremely talented sax player but i don't think he plays at all musically
Superdry1302 3 years ago
I'm sorry,but I don't think so.
I hear in Potter's way of playing the whole lesson of the 60s' "new thing" music,including Coltrane,Coleman,Dolphy,etc.
I think that his solos,so extremely complicated,melodically and rhythmically,are his way to reach a further level of expression,relating to the improvised music.
I'm not saying that there isn't ANY narcisistic component in his overflowing solos;sometimes it could happen,in a so talented musician.But I think it's a minority component of his music.
JaimeSax99 3 years ago
again though, giant steps is another technical exersice. im not saying i dont love giant steps or some of the things chris potter does but i just think that he's more a competetive player to who speed is every thing where as players like kenny garret can offtern go a hole solo with out playing fast but still manage to musically move an audience
Superdry1302 3 years ago
This is a one minute long clip of a solo that has probably evolved over 3 or 4 minutes.
SaxMonkey 3 years ago
yea and its still all the same shit
chris potter is listened to by jazz snobs
Superdry1302 3 years ago
giant steps is not a technical exercise. i think youre probably just regurgitating someone else's opinion you heard in hopes to sound smart. you should probably just listen to more chris potter records before you talk trash about him
Dryplasticemu 3 years ago
A. im not trash talking him, he is blates amazingly TECNICALLY talented just not so much musically
B all giant steps is, is four note groupings that he has practiced over and over, which is a technical excersise.
C that doesnt mean im trash talking coltrane ither
Superdry1302 3 years ago
Have you heard Potter's playing with Dave Douglas? very musical.
Also, Giant Steps is not a "technical exercise," or really an "exercise" at all when properly understood. If characterized as an exercise than it is a "harmonic" exercise, since it enables a players to hear new harmonies and melodies over chord progressions rather than improving their raw technique.
hickeye 3 years ago
Coltrane wrote it specifically to be an exercise. He wrote it to practice multitonic systems.
Saxyman14 2 years ago
yup. I was clarifying the difference between a technical exercise and a harmonic exercise.
hickeye 2 years ago
chris you are great!!
ferrkg 3 years ago
yeah. that album really is just mindblowing. even if you're someone who thinks he just plays "noise" (which only juvenile ears would), that album is amazing.
miranda4391 3 years ago
does listning to his music make u smile thou??
Superdry1302 3 years ago
Yeah Chris Potters is one bad kat. If any of u have not already heard you should check out his album "Follow the redline, live at the Village Vanguard", the album is ridculously sick. But I must say this isn't the best clip of chris potters playing, I heard better.
saxman198911 3 years ago
Well aren't you pretentious...I just recorded the free concert that I was at. I wasn't trying to make a statement or anything.
But yeah, I was at those Vanguard concerts. So awesome.
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
Sounds like a bunch of noise to me.
eet73 3 years ago
mmmm.....noise. Music to my ears!
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
you cant have music without noise,thats the joy of having two ears
cherryschmear 3 years ago
the boy can blow.....
gflood 3 years ago
yea it sounds like a bunch of noise because you cant understand what he's doing. its too complicated for people for people who cant comprehend it.
wonton5050 3 years ago
Charlie Parker.
John Coltrane.
Chris Potter.
jputterman26 3 years ago
I would Brecker somewhere in there too...
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
Everyone hears differently. I enjoyed Michael, but did not find him earth shattering like these other cats.
jputterman26 3 years ago
They had a concert in Belgrade two years ago probably the best session Belgrade ever heard!
ugusmul 3 years ago 2
holy shit.
m1studiospage 3 years ago
Killin'!
GolfShoes 3 years ago 2
awesome band, saw them in the sydney opera house, best show ever!!!
SaXDuDe17 3 years ago
wow recording sucks but it still shows how amazingly awsome chris is.
DylanSax 3 years ago
FYI, it was recorded on a DIGITAL CAMERA, not even a video recorder. I just used the movie function to document as little as I could on the camera's internal memory.
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
Sounds like a machine. Don't know if that is good or bad. I like it though.
dwon79 3 years ago
The reason he sounds like a machine is because of his mastery of the instrument and of his complete certainty of what to play. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing".
thecosmicrain 3 years ago
Vida Longa!!!
thiri1902 3 years ago
I love the song Next Best Western, great stuff.
kushisaac 3 years ago
I love his recording of All The Things You Are.
LeonLeonheart5422 4 years ago
wow.
saxnova 4 years ago
Welcome to jazz club. Nice... :-D
TomBandfield 4 years ago
killin...
edub82 4 years ago
It's amazing that he hears all of that, He's not trying to show off, it's just what he hears.
Unbelievable
SaxMonkey 4 years ago 2
I get scared of his tecnique
boneking33 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Kenny G iz better!!
darahkaiwai 4 years ago
Haha
futboler454 4 years ago 2
thats a good one
baka6660 4 years ago
rotfl
SP1R1TCRUSH3R 4 years ago
Wow, intense.
Going to have to look into this gent.
Bodofinglok 4 years ago
It's hilarious that people with no knowledge of jazz or music in general, and no ears will make such funny comments about what they think someone's playing. No shithead, something might have an up and down shape but that doesn't make it a scale.
Jazzguitar00 4 years ago
chris potter is one sick mo fo. I like.
; )
ratiocinativeness 4 years ago
It's crazy how over the years he keeps getting better and better. His technique is second to none and it's amazing how much higher he's setting the bar. A true tenor master and musical innovator.
Kunjaku 4 years ago
wow chris potter is my role model :)
yea i played lead tenor for the all city jazz band and im trying to squeeze into the all state jazz
im a freshman at high school too, so im crossing my fingers for jazz 1
skater4nater 4 years ago
such complete mastery of the instrument
DexAndTrane 4 years ago
You are an amazing musician. Great solo!
tenorplayer09 4 years ago
It's not the question if that running scales is difficult or what ever ... it's the question what effect it does. And I think Chris Potter is such a great musician who has so much musical experience that he can really express so much in his solos.
awesome artist
chrispotterfan 4 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
check out this unbelievable highschool band. Search for Princeton whiplash (both parts, 1 and 2)
onowen99 4 years ago
I should also add that I pee my pants a little bit every time I watch this video.
aaronhillmusic 4 years ago
The person that said he's runnining scales might've missed that he's playing mostly arpeggios. I can see preffering something different (not really, but some people do), but to say that this is "not particularly difficult" just displays a lack of familiarity with playing saxophone. Traversing those kind of leaps is extremely difficult, and there are not many that can do it. Whether or not you dig Chris's playing, he's a force to be reckoned with.
aaronhillmusic 4 years ago
Not only playing arpeggios but playing them in permutations-that are logically sequenced-extremely musical-
Love this guy.
ManhattanMC 4 years ago
yeah, good clip...plus his sound is really good(of course, that usually goes without saying,lol)
stealthswimmer 4 years ago
what does cutting contest mean..? chris potter is the man. easy to love on "pure" is the shito
yalcos4 4 years ago
aint that some shit....check out my video, let me know whats up.
yalcos4 4 years ago
my instrument is the guitar, yet chris potter is one of my favourite musicians of all times!!
you can notice he's completly in what he's doing! the tnsion he creates in the end (few others can do this so well) has everything to do with his body movements, you can almost see in his face what he's gonna play! I think it teachs us much about tension, intention and concentration:)!! I just love to wcht this movie once and once again..
cripoleteo 4 years ago
It's funny...I play tenor, yet Wayne Krantz is one of my favorite musicians. Go figure.
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
if chris plays with wayne, for sure wayne is good!
..I dont know him very well, however I think chris the best:)!! I was not particulary interested in wayne but now you tell me he is one of your favourite..I'll listen to more wayne things! by the way, one of my favourite guitar players is Andre Fernandes! every one should know him! (and probably will some day..:))
cripoleteo 4 years ago
If you ever go to NYC, make sure you go to the 55 bar on a Thursday night to see Wayne's trio. Some of the best music being made today.
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
that will be kind of difficult.. I'm from portugal and I dont even know if I'll ever visit usa! I'm dwloading some krantz cd's.. god bless the internet:)
cripoleteo 4 years ago
abh1014 called chris potter a clown.......what the hell is wrong with you? he's easily one of the best jazz saxophonists out there today
ahutch727 4 years ago
Chris Potter is hands down the most creative melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic saxophonist and jazz musician out there today. Period. Not to mention his stellar tone quality. Are we all listening to the same clip? There is so much more then scale material..and the material he uses is very complex. His rhythmic choices are mind boggling. WTF people?
SaxTrane03 4 years ago
1. Checked out Masato Honda's clips- they are all of him on an EWI or playing with a KPop artist- this speaks volumes as to his stature as a modern jazz musician. point- never call Chris Potter a clown ever again.
2. His "bodily movements" in this clip are out of necessity to accomodate awkward fingerings at high speeds.
3. He is not just "running scales"- this comment is the product of an untrained ear that simply hears melodic contours, a blurring so to speak of the actually notes.
dvmtb13 4 years ago
you guys have to grow up and stop thinking of music as a pissing competition or is it about the size of your penises??? Really this is just good playing and who cares who you compare it to
thanks to the cosmic rain for posting it ...pitty it could not be longer
RichardJ60 4 years ago
If only I had brought my GB flash card....
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
abh...i guess you wouldnt like one of todays best, kenny garrett? just assuming, not trying to start anything like others here. haha
macgre510 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you guys should see Masato Honda playing his sax... Masato doesn't move his body like this clown...
abh1014 4 years ago
Who are you, Hal Galper?
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
hey itzkatsawayo, if you think you're such a badass then why don't you post a video of yourself playing, and we'll see who's better.
pianoanimal09 4 years ago
I don't think I'm a badass. Disagreement shouldn't always equal conflict. We just don't see this very short clip the same way. Big deal.
itzkatsawayo 4 years ago
It wasn't that great to me. Good, but not as great as you guys seemed to think.
itzkatsawayo 4 years ago
Transcribe that and get back to me.
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
He's running scales. It's a lot of fun to do, but it's not particularly difficult. He does have fast fingers. The man is certainly talented. I'm just not overwhelmed.
itzkatsawayo 4 years ago
Listen to his tounging. THAT is difficult to do. It's extremely difficult to be able to play that fast using staccatos.
thecosmicrain 4 years ago
Well... you could argue about how hard it is (pretty frikkin hard to me) or you could just enjoy it. I enjoyed it. Some people may not.
SeanLittle88 4 years ago
You're an idiot.
ManhattanMC 4 years ago
that was for iszkatsawayo.
ManhattanMC 4 years ago
Phenomenal!Totally his grace, power, intelligent interweaving of lines, a philosopher of sound
Great stuff ...more please!
RichardJ60 4 years ago
what a badass
bdbaritone 4 years ago
On parts of that he sounded like a guitar tapping. (not as far as tone is concerned of course).
Mikelarkenson2 5 years ago
Listen to the ATTYA bootleg, its the greatest sax pleying of all time.
checkster12 5 years ago
Ok guys , i have an announcment to make.
Chris Potter is not human.
Cant be
bassfag 5 years ago
except with soul...
tchfunkta 5 years ago
soon, it began rainin'.
DanielRutkowski 5 years ago
God I can't think of a good way to say it but he doesn't look as cool as he sounds.
SaxMonkey 5 years ago
I am thankful that jazz musicians don't care about that sort of thing.
LeRoyGuy 4 years ago 2
Check out the "All the Things You Are" bootleg of him at Manhatten(School)...you will want to quit music forever
WPUSaxMan 5 years ago
Woaw !! Killing tenor sax playing ! Potter is one of the greatest modern jazz musicians. Thanks for this video.
Jockobass 5 years ago
neeeeeeeeeeeeed
MisterPlobe 5 years ago
seriously. if i could play that well i wouldn't sleep, eat, leave the house, anything. i'd just sit there and be amazed at my own self. shit.
CSRjazz 5 years ago
once again. THE MAN
CSRjazz 5 years ago
oh fuck yeah man chris potter is the MAN
CSRjazz 5 years ago
Great video! I think the song is "Vicissitudes" from their latest release, Critical Mass. Any other vids from this band?
BlueNoteJazz3 5 years ago
god damn....listen to that. you got to put the rest of that...please!
jobjobjobjobjob 5 years ago
Mr. Potter is a beast lol....all intervals and shyt....a monster
IMDominican 5 years ago