2019 · Album
Circuits
Recorded 2019 · Edition Records · Personnel: Chris Potter (saxophone), James Francies (keyboards), Linley Marthe (bass), Eric Harland (drums)
Modern Electronic Sounds Merge With Jazz Tradition
Potter shows he can mix modern genres with conviction, moving beyond the diffuse introspection of his recent work.
Circuits arrived in 2019 as Potter's first release for Edition Records, and the shift in label was accompanied by a deliberate stylistic recalibration. Working with James Francies on keys, Linley Marthe on bass, and Eric Harland on drums, Potter steered toward something brighter and more rhythmically engaged than the introspective ECM sessions that had defined his recent output. The choice of players mattered: Francies brought modern electronic textures into the fold, while Harland and Marthe locked into grooves that felt less exploratory and more intentional, giving the music forward momentum.
The album demonstrates Potter at his best when he's not overthinking. He moves between soprano and tenor with fluency, and the band follows his lead into passages where modern production and traditional jazz vocabulary actually occupy the same space without apology. Jazz Journal gave it 4.5 stars, and The Times' Chris Pearson noted the conscious stylistic departure, observing that Potter "consciously" shifted away from the diffuse discs of recent years. The recording works because nobody on it seems interested in proving anything. They just play.
For listeners familiar with Potter's solo work or his ECM catalogue, Circuits is worth hearing as evidence that he still has appetite for the electric side of jazz. It's not a radical reinvention—the saxophonist remains fundamentally grounded in post-bop language—but it is a deliberate step sideways from his recent trajectory, and the material holds up as some of his more enjoyable recent work.
Who's playing
Linley Marthebass
Eric Harlanddrums
James Francieskeyboard
