Saxophonist and composer Chris Potter finally had the stars align for a session that’s been years, if not decades in the making. It can be challenging to find a break in the schedules of such giants on their respective instruments – pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade. The eight compositions on Eagle’s Point are all Potter originals, developed with these musicians in mind, as he plays an array of saxophones to the unparalleled support from this rhythm section in an acoustic session. Potter has played with all three of these quartet members but that dates to the early nineties. Call this a long-sought-after reunion.
The album opens with Mehldau’s eerie chords and Potter’s tenor welcoming us into a world that initially seems a bit mysterious but unfolds into melodic vibrancy, reflected in Potter’s liquid rapid runs while Mehldau comps brightly and the tandem of Patitucci and Blade, longtime members of the late Wayne Shorter’s Quartet, underpin as few others can. Mehldau launches a terrific, nimble solo of his in the break and symmetrically closes, repeating the opening ethereal chords. “Cloud Message” is bolder, with Potter’s tenor commanding attention from the get-go, building his solo aggressively as his mates propel him forward. Mehldau follows in trademark shimmering fashion, with Blade on the ride cymbal and Patitucci plucking emphatically into his declarative turn. Potter returns in a fury, and they take it out to a definitive climax.
The melancholy “Indigo Ildiko” features the bass clarinet with Potter generating a remarkably clear tone, leading to a stunning lyrical bass solo from Patitucci, and a characteristic minimalist, slightly Monk-like turn from Mehldau. Potter then returns on tenor in his second solo, brightening the timbre of the piece with his spiraling runs. The title track is straight ahead hard bop, with Blade’s insistent beats and Mehldau’s steady comping spurring on an ever-fierce take from the tenorist. The pianist rambles freely in flight, making way for Blade’s whirlwind on kit. A ballad was surely in the offing and Potter obliges with “Aria for Anna,” a demonstration of nuance, restraint, and pure soul as all quartet members contribute to the sublime vibe as Potter takes to soprano on this expressively gorgeous piece. The last sustained note itself is a thing of beauty.
Patitucci leads us into the mellow “Other Plans,” handing off to Mehldau who rips off a series of ascending scales before Potter enters blissfully on tenor again mixing lyricism with his rapid liquid clusters, reaching a bit higher in each successive chorus, alternating with emotive balladic passages in the latter half to a smooth conclusion. Patitucci is again the initial lead voice in “Milaga Moon,” mixing arco and pizzicato techniques that set a dramatic mood, lightened by Mehldau’s iridescent chords and a sparkling, rhythmically intricate solo with Blade’s kinetic support. An inspired Potter soars freely, descending to deliver a series of impassioned statements to take it out. “Horizon Dance,” the closer, is aptly pure exuberance with Potter in muscular free-blowing mode again to a most propulsive rhythmic accompaniment, leaving space for each of these collaborators to express themselves animatedly.
