''Circuits'' is a 2019 studio album by jazz saxophonist Chris Potter, his first to be released on the

Edition Edition may refer to: * Edition (book), a bibliographical term for a substantially similar set of copies * Edition (printmaking), a publishing term for a set print run * Edition (textual criticism), a particular version of a text * Edition Recor ...

label.Edition Records catalogue
accessed March 17, 2019 It features Potter with keyboardist

James Francies James Francies (born 1995) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Houston but moved to New York to continue his musical studies. Following performances and recordings with various musicians, his first albu ...

, bass guitarist Linley Marthe and drummer

Eric Harland Eric Harland (born November 8, 1976; in Houston, Texas) is an American jazz drummer. In addition to leading his own group, Harland is a member of Charles Lloyd's Quartet, Dave Holland's Prism, James Farm with Joshua Redman, and Taylor Eigsti' ...

Reception

The ''

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'' review by Mike Hobart awarded the album 4 stars, noting that "the tracks in the multi-instrumentalist’s new album recall the sound of his old Underground quartet" and calling it "a return to gritty fusion jazz". Writing for ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'', Sammy Stein summarised the album by saying "Circuits is a terrific recording, and what it does is show Potter at his show-stopping best. But it also incorporates modern electronic sounds, demonstrating that there is no line in jazz. Modern can match with traditional influences and merge to develop something verging on the extraordinary". In the same publication, Roger Farbey described ''Circuits'' as "an early contender for album of the year", saying "Circuits carries considerable visceral heft and largely thanks to Potter's multi-instrumental versatility there's an occasional big band feel to the tracks. In any event, this album demonstrates, once again, the mark of Potter's true virtuosity and ingenuity". Dave Jones of ''

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund Sc ...

'' also gave a positive review, opining that "This is definitely an album to savour, with strong compositions and excellent playing from a well-chosen team". In ''

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'', Chris Pearson noted the stylistic departure from Potter's recent

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

releases, saying "Chris Potter is one of the world’s best saxophonists, a master at mixing modern musical genres with conviction, but it has been hard to embrace the diffuse, introspective discs he has recorded of late. With Circuits, his first release with the British label Edition, he consciously gets back to the groove and the result is a relief. His lyricism remains, but the music to which it is applied has far more grit and energy".

Track listing

Compositions by Chris Potter except where noted # "Invocation" − 2:08 # "Hold It" − 6:49 # "The Nerve" − 8:30 # "Koutomé" − 6:47 (Amenoudji Joseph Vicky) # "Circuits" − 9:26 # "Green Pastures" − 8:24 # "Queens of Brooklyn" − 3:34 # "Exclamation" − 7:16 # "Pressed for Time" − 8:35 (James Francies)

Personnel

* Chris Potter –

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

, clarinet, flute,

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, guitar, keyboards, percussion *

– keyboards * Linley Marthe – bass guitar *

– drums

References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Edition Records albums Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist) albums