Imaginary Cities is a studio album by the Chris Potter Underground Orchestra recorded in December 2013 and released on ECM in January 2015, Potter's second album for the label.[1][2] The ensembles features the return of his "Underground Quartet"—consisting rhythm section Craig Taborn, Adam Rogers, and Nate Smith—alongside vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Scott Colley, bass guitarist Fima Ephron, and a string quartet.
| Imaginary Cities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by the Chris Potter Underground Orchestra | ||||
| Released | January 16, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | December 2013 | |||
| Studio | Avatar, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 71:09 | |||
| Label | ECM 2387 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Chris Potter chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |  [3] |
| All About Jazz | [4] |
| Allmusic |  [5] |
| The Buffalo News |  [6] |
| Blurt | [7] |
| Financial Times | [8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| Irish Times | [10] |
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 41⁄2 stars stating "Potter's writing on Imaginary Cities engages every aspect of his jazz palette. It embraces modern classical music as part of a striking whole. It is his most ambitious project to date, and arguably his most expertly articulated."[5]
The Guardian's John Fordham noted, "This feels like a work in progress with a fascinating future."[9]
Jeff Simon writing for The Buffalo News commented, "The result is utterly spectacular, I think. It’s a disc that it is completely fresh and idiomatically only itself, with great solos all through it, not least of all by Potter on tenor and soprano saxophone and bass clarinet."[6]
All About Jazz correspondent John Kelman observed "with Imaginary Cities Potter has created the first real masterpiece of 2015. A profound paradigm shift for the saxophonist, Imaginary Cities suggests that the end point of Potter's potential seems still very far beyond the horizon."[3] Another review by Karl Ackermann stated "Imaginary Cities is an expansive album expressing divergent motifs linked together through a central theme. The septet is taut and adventurous; the strings impassioned and thoughtful and Potter's playing is his best to date. Though he emerged as a leader two decades back seemingly fully-formed in every creative aspect, he continues to evolve and surprise. Imaginary Cities is a superb album on every level."[4]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Chris Potter
- "Lament" − 8:07
- "Imaginary Cities 1: Compassion" − 8:34
- "Imaginary Cities 2: Dualities" − 8:44
- "Imaginary Cities 3: Disintegration" − 7:23
- "Imaginary Cities 4: Rebuilding" − 11:33
- "Firefly" − 8:37
- "Shadow Self" − 6:09
- "Sky" − 12:02
Personnel
edit- Chris Potter – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
- Adam Rogers − guitars
- Craig Taborn − piano
- Steve Nelson − vibraphone, marimba
- Fima Ephron − bass guitar
- Scott Colley − double bass
- Nate Smith – drums
- Mark Feldman, Joyce Hammann − violin
- Lois Martin − viola
- Dave Eggar − cello
References
edit- ^ Between Sound and Space, accessed January 8, 2018
- ^ ECM Records catalog, accessed January 8, 2018
- ^ a b Kelman, J. All About Jazz Review, January 6, 2015
- ^ a b Ackermann, K. All About Jazz Review 2, January 8, 2015
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. Chris Potter – Imaginary Cities: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Simon, Jeff (15 January 2015). "Disc reviews: Chris Potter, American Horn Quartet, Marilyn Manson,". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Toland, Michael (13 January 2015). "CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA – Imaginary Cities". Blurt. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Hobart, Mike (23 January 2015). "Chris Potter Underground Orchestra: Imaginary Cities — review". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b Fordham, J. The Guardian Review, January 23, 2015
- ^ Larkon, Cormac (6 February 2015). "Chris Potter Underground Orchestra: Imaginary Cities - Album Review". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 July 2018.