Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Celebrated saxophonist Chris Potter and his quartet, Underground, will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 26 in Kenan Auditorium. His supercharged and eclectic Underground quartet features young stalwarts Craig Taborn (keyboards), Adam Rogers (guitar) and Nate Smith (drums). The performance is sponsored by the UNCW Arts in Action Performance Series and co-sponsored by the Department of Music's 28^th Annual Guest Artist Jazz Festival.

Potter has been pushing the limits of the saxophone since his entrance to the jazz scene. He created the Underground band as a vehicle for his explorations in improvisation and composition. Though the band has only been around for a short time, it has proven to be one of the most engaging and far-reaching ensembles around. The new recording, Follow the Red Line, documents the band in its element, a live performance at the famed Village Vanguard, and expands upon their previous release, Underground (Sunnyside 2006). This recording serves as a perfect expose of Potter's prowess as composer and performer.

A musical prodigy who grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, Potter took up the alto sax at the age of ten and then moved to New York City at age 18 to attend the Manhattan School of Music. But his eclectic musical education really began with his personal investigation of his parents' record collection. Spanning everything from Bach to Schoenberg, and gamelan music to the Beatles, Potter explored it all avidly, taking a special interest in albums by Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck.

Hailed by Down Beat as "One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet," he first played the Village Vanguard at age 20 with trumpet great Red Rodney and his band. "I was scared to death when I saw Dizzy Gillespie and James Moody sitting in the front row," Potter recalls of the gig. "But the vibe was so positive that soon I felt like I was playing in my own living room."

Since then, Potter's broad-based musical sensibility has brought him into the line of vision of a diverse and heady array of artists, including James Moody, Jim Hall, Marian McPartland, Dave Douglas, Larry Carlton, Steely Dan, and Dave Holland, with whom Chris has been performing regularly since 1999, and many others.

"Each band leader, each great musician I've had the chance to work with has inspired me in a certain way…Without all those experiences I don't think I'd be ready to be doing this now."

In addition to the UNCW concert, Potter will give a jazz clinic for UNCW students from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and a question and answer session from 3:45-4:45 p.m. in the Beckwith Recital Hall on Thurs, March 25. The events are free and open to the public. For more information, call UNCW Presents at 910.962.3285 or visit www.uncw.edu/presents. For more information about the 28^th Annual Guest Artist Jazz Festival, see www.uncw.edu/music.

BOX OFFICE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to the performance are $22 for the general public; $18 for senior citizens and UNCW employees; $10 for non-UNCW students; and $6 for UNCW students. Group discounts are available. Call Kenan Box Office at 910.962.3500 or 800.732.3643 outside the Wilmington area or visit www.uncw.edu/presents. Box office hours are Noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and one hour prior to the event. For more information about the 28^th Annual Guest Artist Jazz Festival, visit www.uncw.edu/music.

About Arts in Action Performance Series
The Arts in Action Performance Series seeks to culturally enrich, educate and entertain both students and the Wilmington community through the presentation of diverse programs featuring professional, high-quality performing artists. The series is supported by grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, a Division of the Department of Cultural Resources with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Southern Arts Federation in partnership with National Endowment for the Arts.

Media Contact: Shannon Hooker, 910.962.7600