Song for Anyone

Song for Anyone

Ever since he burst on the scene in the 90s, the award winning, Chicago-born, tenor-alto-soprano saxophonist/bass clarinetist/flutist Chris Potter has blazed an impressive musical trail with his stellar sideman gigs with everybody from Red Rodney, Dave Holland, and Paul Motian, to Steely Dan, and by his critically-acclaimed fourteen recordings as a leader. Now, Sunnyside simultaneously releases two new CDs by Potter that showcase the ever-evolving genius of this saxophone colossus in the making.<br><br>Songs For Anyone features Potter fronting a ten-piece ensemble with woodwinds and strings, with his longtime partner, bassist Scott Colley, drummer Adam Cruz, guitarist Steve Cardenas, Greg Tardy on clarinet, cellist David Eggar, violinist Mark Feldman, Michael Rabinowitz on bassoon, flutist Erica Von Kleist, and Lois Martin on viola. The CD which takes its name from a poem by E.E. Cummings is an elegant and intricate extension of the saxophone-orchestral tradition rooted in classic recordings like Charlie Parker's Bird With Strings, Stan Getz's Focus, and Joe Lovano's Rush Hour with Gunther Schuller. <br><br>On Songs For Anyone Potter's rich, rugged and romantic sax tones effortlessly illuminates and amplifies the equally sensitive orchestral arrangements that, unlike many other efforts, are the perfect foil to leader s improvisations. The Absence is a probing piece pulsed with a zesty six feel, followed by the dancing selection Against the Wind. Closer to the Sun is a mallet-drummed Coltrane Crescent -coded number, contrasted by the Norah Jones-style backbeat of Family Tree. The equally bouncy Chief Seattle makes it a worthy successor to Wayne Shorter s Blue Note-era classic Chief Crazy Horse. Cupid and Psyche rigs with the type of martial drumming that Miles Davis referred to as the Rat Patrol sound, making it the perfect segue into the rhythmically adventurous percussion explorations of the title track and The Arc of a Day. The Latinesque and blues-tinged Estrellas de Sur and All By All, conclude this dynamic disc that proves that in Potter s skilled hands, jazz is an extension of the European classical tradition.