At the beginning of 2021 Chris Potter turned 50. It's remarkable how this American jazz saxophonist, despite that venerable age, still seeks adventure, with which he continually broadens his playing and musical palette. Surprisingly, of course, was the Lockdown album
There Is A Tide (2020), an energetic fusion record on which he played all the instruments himself. Sunrise Reprise can be seen as the
… successor to the unsurpassed Circuits (2019). With keyboardist James Francies and drummer Eric Harland, who both played important roles on that album, Potter now forms the Circuit Trio. Deep and almost spiritual they sound on Sunrise Reprise, fully absorbed in tight interplay, with both Potter and Francies making use of synthesizers and electronic effects. But Potter is above all a master on his sax, playing with great atmosphere and virtuosity in five long pieces. In Francies and Harland he found two fearless band members who, like him, are never afraid of adventure. Potter is undisputedly one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 21st century. (MR)more