1994 · Album
Concentric Circles
Recorded 1993 · Concord · Produced by Not specified in provided source
Potter's Circle: A Saxophonist Finding His Voice
A confident, swinging record that shows Potter settling into his own sound with a terrific band.
By the time Chris Potter recorded Concentric Circles (1993), he'd already released two albums and was beginning to sound less like a student of the tradition and more like himself. This third outing finds him paired with Kenny Werner on piano, John Handy on electric guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums — a group that has real chemistry and isn't afraid to stretch beyond straight-ahead blowing. The guitar-plus-piano front end gives the band a textured, slightly unusual sound for a saxophone-led session, and Potter uses that space wisely, sometimes playing off Werner's harmonies rather than over them.
What makes this record work is how comfortable everyone sounds. This isn't a showcase album where the sidemen are there to support the star; these are five musicians playing as equals. Stewart's drumming is crisp and responsive, never overplaying, and Colley walks a line between traditional swing-bass grounding and something a little more modern. Werner and Handy create an interplay that's genuinely interesting — not always in lockstep, but responsive to each other and to Potter's direction. The tunes themselves are strong without being showy, and Potter's tone is warm and focused, with less of the searching quality that marked his earlier work.
This sits somewhere in Potter's middle period, not his first statement but not yet the artist at peak visibility either. It's the kind of album that matters most to people who care about saxophonists and modern jazz ensemble playing — not a crossover moment, not a landmark, just a very solid session by musicians who knew what they were doing and brought good material to the date. If you're already interested in Potter or in contemporary acoustic jazz, Concentric Circles (1993) is worth your time.
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