1996 · Album
Moving In
Recorded 1996 · Concord · Personnel: Chris Potter (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass), Billy Hart (drums)
A Quartet Finding Its Voice
The playing is emotionally charged and technically superb, even if the material doesn't push boundaries.
Moving In arrived in 1996 as a showcase for Chris Potter leading a working quartet, and it's a solid entry in his catalog without being the obvious starting point. Potter had already released albums before this, so this wasn't a debut announcement. What you get here is four musicians — Potter on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Billy Hart on drums — playing together with real chemistry and skill. The AllMusic reviewer caught the essential thing about it: the concept wasn't Potter's most ambitious, but the execution was clean and emotionally direct. These are players who knew how to listen to each other.
The album doesn't announce itself with a new sound or a radically different approach. It's a straightforward acoustic jazz record with good standards and originals, the kind of project that works well live and translates clearly to tape. Hart's drumming gives everything a swinging foundation, Mehldau's harmonic touch is both modern and rooted, Grenadier locks in without fuss, and Potter's tone is warm and focused. Nothing flashy, nothing trying too hard. If you're already familiar with Potter's work and like what he does, this is worth hearing. If you're new to him, you might want to start elsewhere depending on what appeals to you — but this won't disappoint once you get to it.
Moving In found its audience among listeners who appreciate straightforward, well-played jazz without needing innovation at every turn. It's the kind of album that works better in discovery than in headlines, which is fine. Not every record needs to reshape jazz or announce its own importance. Sometimes a quartet of strong players making honest music together is enough.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Chris Potter
Song for Anyone 2007
Sunrise Reprise 2021
Circuits 2019
Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
