Chris Potter
Born in Chicago on New Year's Day 1971 and moving to Columbia, S.C., as an infant, Chris Potter began fooling around on guitar and piano at the age of three. Taking up the alto saxophone at the age of ten, he played on his first jazz gig at the age of thirteen. His eclectic musical education really began with his personal investigation of his parents' record collection. Spanning everything from Bach to Schoenberg, and gamelan music to the Beatles, Potter explored it all avidly, taking a special interest in albums by Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck.When piano legend Marian McPartland first heard Potter at fifteen years old--an encounter that eventually led to his contract with Concord Records in 1994--she told his father that Potter was ready for the road with a unit such as Woody Herman's, although he chose to place a priority on finishing school.
Potter studied at the Manhattan School of Music, where he formed a lasting friendship with one of his professors, pianist Kenny Werner. Following his graduation, he began a long series of sideman activities with top names like the Mingus Big Band, Paul Motion, Ray Brown, Jim Hall, James Moody, Dave Douglas, and Mike Mainieri, among others.
Potter's 1998 recording, Vertigo, was named one of the year's top ten CDs by both Jazziz and The New York Times. He also performed on Steely Dan's Grammy-nominated Two Against Nature, touring with them in 1994. He received his own Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo for his work on Joanne Brackeen's Pink Elephant Magic.
In addition to his extensive work with bassist/composer Dave Holland's various ensembles, Potter has performed throughout the world with his own groups since early 2001. He has appeared at jazz festivals in Paris, London, Florence, Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver, as well as a featured performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
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