2015 · Album
Imaginary Cities
Recorded December 2013 · ECM · Produced by Manfred Eicher
Potter Builds Cities Out of Thin Air
Potter stretches his sound wide without losing the groove that made him essential.
By 2013, Chris Potter had already established himself as one of the more serious saxophone voices in contemporary jazz — technically formidable, harmonically restless, and genuinely interested in pushing his groups into new territory. Imaginary Cities (2015) is his most ambitious structural move yet: taking the core Underground Quartet — Craig Taborn on piano, Adam Rogers on guitar, and Nate Smith on drums — and expanding it outward with vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Scott Colley, bass guitarist Fima Ephron, and a string quartet. That is a lot of moving parts, and the real question is whether the added weight serves the music or just complicates it.
Mostly, it serves it. The strings are not wallpaper here. Potter uses them to thicken the harmonic foundation and add tension in ways a standard rhythm section simply cannot. The result feels closer to a small orchestral setting than a blowing session, and if you come in expecting the loose, crackling energy of the Underground band in a club, you might need a moment to adjust. This is more composed, more deliberate. The vibraphone of Nelson weaves through the ensemble in a way that softens some of the harder edges Rogers might otherwise bring, which is an interesting tradeoff — you lose a little bite, but you gain a kind of shimmer that suits the album's more cinematic ambitions.
For listeners already invested in Potter's work, this is a genuinely interesting left turn — not a reinvention, but a real expansion. For newcomers, it might not be the first place to start. It rewards patience and repeated listening more than it rewards casual attention. That is not a complaint, just a fair warning about what you are getting into.
Who's playing
Scott Colleydouble bass
Fima Ephronbass guitar
Craig Tabornpiano
Adam Rogersguitar
Chris Pottertenor saxophone
Nate Smithdrums
Steve Nelsonvibraphone
Dave Eggarcello
Mark Feldmanviolin
Joyce Hammannviolin
Lois Martinviola
Where next?
More by Chris Potter
Song for Anyone 2007
Circuits 2019
Sunrise Reprise 2021
Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
