Chris Potter Masterclass
I’m a big fan of Chris Potter, like many contemporary saxophonists I can be inspired and intimidated by his incredible musicianship, technique and command of the saxophone.
I really enjoyed watching this masterclass from a Jamey Aebersold Summer School, (that’s Jamey of the 1, 2, 3, 4 on piano at the start.)
I’ve been to a number of classes that Chris has given and I’ve been VERY fortunate to share a few beers with Chris at Ronnie Scott’s and backstage at various different gigs over the years, (check out my review of this gig with Chris, Joshua Redman, Mark Turner and Chris Cheek.)
Some things I wanted to draw your attention to from this Masterclass,
- Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve
- A good tone and good time will see you through most situations.
- Music, especially jazz is self-expression.
- Be able to melody VERY WELL!
- Whatever you can find that makes it fun, do it and keep on doing it
IT IS SAID TO BE ‘PLAYING MUSIC’ SO LET’S PLAY!
The big ‘take home’ for me out of this was recording myself when I practice. I’ve advocated this for a while with students, but I’ve been a little reluctant to do it myself. However, last night I setup a folder and tried to put into practice some of the ideas that Chris talks about.
What do you think about Chris Potter’s playing and what he says in this class?