Album Review: Restless from Jackson Potter

Album:  Restless
Artist:  Jackson Potter
Label:  Wise Cat Records
Website:  https://jacksonpottermusic.com

Restless, the debut release from guitarist-composer Jackson Potter features six of his original tracks and two covers, Horace Silver's "Peace" and Steve Swallow's "Falling Grace." Accompanied by Gibb Mandish on drums, Patrick Leavy on bass, Leo Folsom on piano, David Mason on alto saxophone, Joey Curreri on trumpet, and Carter Key on tenor trombone, Potter steers listeners through a catacomb of passages that all focus on creating an engaging listening experience.

The album starts off with Potter's original number “Bird Flu,” a hardcore post-bop stomper loosely inspired by the playing of Charlie "Bird" Parker. Whether the listener is acquainted with Parker's works or not there is a familiarity in the rhythmic patterns and tone of the instrumentation that vibrates at the caliber of iconic bop players like Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, and Gerry Mulligan. The traditional quality of the tune does not impair its contemporary spark.

Potter approaches the classic Horace Silver ballad, "Peace," as a sparsely layered trio with elegant and wispy ruffles provided by his guitar and cool jazz trimmings furnished by Leavy’s double-bass solo and Gibb Mandish's shimmering drum swishes. The other cover on the release, Steve Swallow's lively tempoed “Falling Grace" is also treated as a trio, showcasing Potter's agility on the guitar along with the sprawling bursts made by Leavy's bass and Mandish's drums.

“Mulberry Tree" shifts the course of the recording to a lithesome serenade ressembling the bossa nova smoothnes of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Keeping in line with the adagio-imbued trend, "Sophia's Waltz" flows at a lulling pace, trussed in the glistening rustle of Potter's guitar underpinned by the soft twinkles of pianist Leo Folson and the brushed strokes of drummer Gibb Mandish. The upbeat tempo of "Amalfi" is infused with an amicable samba accent from Potter's guitar chords resting on Patrick Leavy's pumping bass and the billowing splashing of Mandish's drums.

Though the tracks are well groomed, they don't have a processed finish but rather an organic fluidity as though the progressions are determined by the notes telling the story, the way colors let the artist know how to put them together in a painting. This is particularly true of Potter's original score "Hindsight Is 20/20," which illustrates an intuitive interplay between the drums, bass, and keys mantled by expressive solos performed by Potter and guests Joey Curreri on trumpet and David Mason on alto saxophone. Each solo builds another tier in the landscaped passages, presenting vivacious vignettes strung together.

Raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jackson Potter began playing professionally around the twin cities at age 16. He graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Music in 2020, and proceeded to gig extensively with the Jackson Potter Trio. Though Potter has been exposed to the world stage for a short period of time, his open mindedness speaks volumes about his ingenuity and creativity. Neither locked into traditional hardcore bop or exercising his contemporary improvisational skills, Potter straddles the line between the two with natural ease.

Musicians:
Jackson Potter - guitar
Gibb Mandish - drums
Patrick Leavy - bass
Leo Folsom - piano
David Mason - alto saxophone
Joey Curreri - trumpet
Carter Key - tenor trombone