The secret is out that the Young American reed-player Chris Potter can do just about anything on his instruments. He has a CV of importance and the number of CD’s in his own name can’t be counted on the fingers of two hands anymore. On Gratitude, his album before last, Potter didn’t hide his humble admiration for the founders of bebop and on Traveling Mercies, his latest, he ventures into the territory of funk and fusion. It’s a thrilling project, which allows Potter and his band to burn. Potter once and for all proves himself to be a real leader who shows his versatility on the basis of many unexpected details. The thirty something from Chicago plays at the festival with his modern jazz quartet (Craig Taborn on keyboards, Adam Rogers on guitar and Nate Smith on drums).
