The Sirens is a 2013 studio album by jazz saxophonist Chris Potter, recorded in September 2011 and released on ECM in January 2013, his first venture for the label.[1][2] It features Potter with longtime collaborators, pianist Craig Taborn and bassist Larry Grenadier, along with keyboardist David Virelles and drummer Eric Harland.
| The Sirens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 28, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | September 2011 | |||
| Studio | Avatar, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 63:36 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 2258 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Chris Potter chronology | ||||
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Reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| All About Jazz | [6] |
| All About Jazz |  [7] |
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "Potter's vision and compositions on The Sirens never lose sight of his goal: portraying the eternal essence of humanity in the mythos of his subject; his poetic lyricism as a soloist, and his empathy as a bandleader are consummate."[4]
The Guardian's John Fordham noted "Only the faintly niggling sensation of this being a classically authoritative Potter jazz set with some suitable concept-exotica embroidery blunts The Sirens' impact."[5]
All About Jazz correspondent John Kelman observed "Through it all, there's no mistaking this for anything but a Chris Potter record, but with The Sirens he's delivered one unlike any he's done before. An eclectic album that couldn't have happened without what's come before, it's nevertheless a signpost of significant change, as the saxophonist opens himself up compositionally—and, from a performance perspective, one that, if he can keep this remarkable group together, promises even better things to come."[6] Another review by Ian Patterson stated "The Sirens will go down as one of Potter's best, but this is assuredly a collective triumph."[7]
Track listing edit
All compositions by Chris Potter except as indicated
- "Wine Dark Sea" - 8:47
- "Wayfinder" - 6:49
- "Dawn (With Her Rosy Fingers)" - 7:23
- "The Sirens" - 8:38
- "Penelope" - 7:14
- "Kalypso" - 8:24
- "Nausikaa" - 5:40
- "Stranger at the Gate" - 8:12
- "The Shades" (Potter, David Virelles) - 2:11
Personnel edit
References edit
- ^ ECM catalogue
- ^ "Chris Potter – The Sirens". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "THE SIRENS by Chris Potter". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ a b Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed December 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Fordham, J. The Guardian Review, February 8, 2013
- ^ a b Kelman, J. Extended Analysis - Chris Potter: The Sirens, All About Jazz, January 25, 2013
- ^ a b Patterson, I. The Sirens Review, March 27, 2013