Chris Potter on Singing in a Tuxedo, Moving to New York, and Studio Recording Philosophies

Every time that I play I learn something that I didn’t know before.
—Chris Potter

There’s no shortage of Chris Potter recordings to listen to, and there are hundreds of bootleg clips of him on YouTube. But it’s not often we hear him speak candidly about himself, his early experiences, and his thoughts on making music.

This series of interviews and performances, from a 2004 Slovenian television program, are a rare glimpse into the man behind the music.

(Chris is one of my primary heroes on the saxophone. The period I idolized most was 1993-2002. If you don’t know his work from that time…man, you are missing out.)

Interview part 1: early years and moving to New York

• His first gigs as a teenager in South Carolina (tuxedos, keyboards and singing are involved)
• The musicians he met the first day he arrived in New York
• Looking back on playing sessions with his peers and the effect of seeing his idols perform live
• What he values in the musicians he plays with — “Real links to the history of jazz but also very forward thinking.” (12:46)

http://youtu.be/ZsiCzkJmTCg

Before the second interview, you might want to check out a couple clips from the group’s performance on the show:

http://youtu.be/hZtVLA-xJ0Q

http://youtu.be/WgCYGJSR2Hk

Interview part 2: thoughts on studio recording (~3 mins in)

• What’s so special about performing for an audience
• What makes for a good studio situation — “If you feel like ‘Oh, I want it to be perfect’, then you’re going to make it worse.” (6:46)
• What it felt like to be 26 years old and recording his own music with Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield
• “Every time that I play I learn something that I didn’t know before…there’s always further to go and every gig you do seems to lead you to the next and the next level…that’s what I hope to do for the rest of my life.” (11:32)

http://youtu.be/n1Q5JnsirMI

It’s also interesting to hear him talk about what’s next for him (keep in mind this was 2004). This band, and performance, was just prior to his electric “Underground” band.

I’m going to put together a post on my essential/favorite Potter recordings soon, so stay tuned.

-Bob