Speaking of Chris Potter … This documentary Open Minds was produced a few years back by Accordion Films. It follows Chris Potter Underground around NYC during their rehearsals and musical discussions and documents several live performances at the 55 Bar. This is Chris Potter’s electric outfit. This is not your Daddy’s jazz! The band is Chris Potter on saxophone, Adam Rogers on electric guitar, Craig Taborn on the Fender Rhodes, and Nate Smith on drums. They sometimes perform with Fima Ephron on bass. But shown in this video is the bassless incarnation. Taborn coaxes a bass line from the Fender Rhodes. It’s almost like he’s playing two instruments. The whole band is just otherworldly. Check out “Bounce,” “Tweet,” and “Flight to Oslo.”
I struck up an internet conversation with the director of this film some time ago and obtained a copy of this. Great jazz fan and super nice guy. For a while, I felt like one of the privileged few. It’s all over the web these days: Chris’ site, Accordion’s site, and of course YouTube. This is an important document! Some of these songs have not yet found their way onto official releases. Enjoy!
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