Customer Reviews

Underground

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With Wayne Krantz, Craig Taborn, Nate Smith, and Adam Rogers, Chris Potter has found a truly smokin', yet envelope -pushing group.The way that Taborn's Fender Rhodes meshes with Krantz's( & Adam Rogers') guitar is seductive,and potent; Chris Potter's unique Tenor voice, is at times ferocious, while still being melodic & lyrical!!The drumming/percussion of Nate Smith also feeds, propels, and -at times- coaxes them to places that inspire awe.The beauty, and power of this funky, esoterical soul is without a doubt, one of my favorite recordings-EVER!!!

This is a new direction in Jazz/Funk. Very complex and dark and bad as can be. And there is no bassist in this band. I just saw them live tonight at Yoshis in Oakland, CA. My musician friends and I were awed by the musicianship, intellect and feeling. We just were blown away by drummer Nate Smith (his bass drum is the reason they don't need a bassist) and the Fender Rhodes player was much more impressive live. Unfortunately Wayane Krantz was not there (he was off touring with Donald Fagan and company). I was familiar with the CD and was worried that it wouldn't work without Wayne. I was wrong. They are so much more impressive in person. These compositions are in that new Wayne Krantz style where heads come and go and time signatures and insane voicings are the rule. Very fresh and exciting. If anyone can transcribe this, my hat is off to them.

To anyone who is especially familiar with Chris Potter's past 10 or so albums, it wouldn't be a shock to be told that this album is totally different from any previous recordings. This majority of this album can be best described as a newer fusion of rock and funk as much as Joshua Redman's Elastic was a newer fusion of Gospel/Soul and Funk. The group plays extremely well together, especially with the polyrhythms, syncopation, etc. The songs are all of one homogeneous theme, slightly dark and pensive A's and lighter, more colorful Bridges. The entire album is deffinately rooted more in the grooves than the harmonies. Every solo section seems to be perfectly set up to culture the growth of lyricism and emotional conquest. The playing and interactions between musicians on the album is sophisticated, but I feel that they never really let it all hang out. This album is another stepping stone for Potter, and I think is one of the first ripples in the jazz pond to leave the epicenter that Dave Holland and many other pioneers made a few years ago. Jazz is changing faces again and this album should be heard by everyone.

It was true of Trane, and finally there's another tenor voice of which the following can be said: The more you listen to a Chris Potter CD (and, yes, for goodness sake, see him live if you have the chance!) the more the music opens up for you, the more you feel the passion, the intelligence, the musical craftsmanship, the mystical new directions the artist offers. Folks stopped listening to Trane at a certain point and then later "caught up." Catch up with Chris Potter and this great band now. Fans need to know that this is what younger and older musicians are doing, whether we admit it or not. Listen to Underground and you'll hear where jazz is going.

Excelent cd!!!

I have no doubt that chriss potter is tha new coltrane! His really inovaiting. The underground is one of the best chris potter albuns. His improvisation lenguage is showed a lot on this cd. "Mornig bell" (great arranje) and "the weel" are my favorites. I'm a guitar player and (of course) i have to say that wayne krantz is an excelent player. His guitar sound is no so comon on jazz today and his new technic creating lots of new sounds make this cd very precious. Nate Smith is the new hit of the jazz drum. Full of energy and new concepts like the influence of hiphop on the jazz music, Nate is another great plazye on this album. No bass, but trust me, you wont nedd it cause you have the groove of craig teborn on the fender rhodes, and really: he's great! finaly we have the special guest adam rogers on two songs. Adam really did his job.

This is a great album. It's new, it's contemporary, and you're buying at amazon, wich make it very much easier!

thank's everyone and nice shopping!

Rafa Figueiredo (sory if there's any english errors)

Chris Potter, ever since his original 1994 release, has shown the jazz world that he is without a doubt the future of the music. Each CD that he has released has shown many different sides to the music, and "Underground" is an addition to this mix. Last year's "Lift" showed the intensity of the Potter Quartet in a more traditional sense, and this new release follows "Traveling Mercies" as a return to more "fusion" based compositions, but has different vibes altogether, particularly due to the roster change.

The bottom line is, if you've enjoyed Potter's playing in the past, buy this new record-- you'll see another whole side to his seemingly infinite creative genius.

the first time you hear this CD you really dont get it very well , but it somewhat makes you hear it again and again . it is a marvelous recording , you cant say it is jazz . it is the new jazz and funk ... it is breaking some rules ..i love it .

There are a lot of things that make this album unique. First of all, there is no bass player. The basslines are usually played by the keyboard with his left hand, although these basslines are not always typical basslines. The compositions on here are sometimes hard to follow, as they are not in standard jazz form. This is a good thing, because it is exciting for the listener. This album provides a fresh outlook on the art of composition. The songs have melodies, but the band goes back and forth between the melody and improvisation, not in the way a standard jazz band plays a head, followed by solos and followed by the head again.

I have heard Chris Potter play before, and he is always on the edge, doing something new and different. No suprises here, as this album has pushed the envelope as well. This is my first time to hear the other musicians and I am very impressed with their playing. I enjoy hearing the sax and Wayne Krantz's guitar together. This is an album that you'll have to listen to several times over to truly get. Each time you'll hear something different, a nuance that you didn't catch the first time, which makes each listen worthwhile.

Chris Potter is a genius. This album is different from his previous recordings (Lift, Traveling Mercies and Gratitude...my personal favorite). Underground is more groove oriented jazz...but not what I call, "hippie-jazz" (i.e. Karl Denson, Martin Medeski and Wood, "post A-Go Go" John Scofield, Charlie Hunter, etc...). There is a lot going on here...unlike "hippie jazz", the tunes on this album never go off into long drawn out jams over one chord...The drummer, Nate Smith, is the replacement for Billy Kilson in Dave Holland's quintet/big band and to me is the key difference in how the tunes are interpreted. Bill Stewart is more "melodic" and swings harder than Nate Smith...however, Nate Smith is an unbelievable player. I love the new Rhodes player, Craig Taborn...he fills in the holes with his left hand, taking the bass parts plus he's comping/soloing...(there is no bass player). Wayne Krantz is an under-the-radar guitarist who deserves to be recognized with Scofield, Adam Rogers (who appears on two tracks) and Kurt Rosenwinkel and proves it on this album. The album is great from start to finish. I love the trend in jazz to do Radiohead and Beatles tunes (check out Brad Mehldau's new album Day is Done with Radiohead's Knives Out). Go buy this album.

Chris Potter is joined on this 2006 album by Wayne Krantz on guitar, Craig Taborn on Fender Rhodes and Nate Smith on drums. It's as good an album as one might expect from the tenor player (though still, in my opinion, not as good as "Traveling Mercies") and while I always look forward to John Scofield's appearances on Chris Potter CDs, Krantz gives such a good performance... well, let's just say Scofield's not missed as much as I thought he would be.

I like all the songs but I do have favourites on this one. They include "Morning Bell", "Big Top", "Celestial Nomad" and the title track, "Underground".