Tommy Potter

Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis , Duke Jordan , Max Roach circa August 1947.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker and Max Roach (hidden), appearance at the New York jazz club Three Deuces, approx. November 1946.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Charles Thomas "Tommy" Potter (* 21st September 1918 in Philadelphia , † 3. March 1988 ) was an American jazz - double bass player . He is regarded by its comparatively long affiliation with the Charlie Parker - Quintet 1947-1950 as a leading bassist of bebop .

Potter only came to the double bass as a main instrument at the relatively old age of 21, having previously received piano and guitar lessons . This late entry may at least partially explain why Potter never made it to a virtuoso on the level of Oscar Pettiford, who was a few years his junior . In his outlook on playing, he is more like an advanced musician of the swing style, whose particular strength was to be able to easily cope with the often extremely fast tempos that Parker loved to count. In addition, the bassist's style of playing complemented the other two musicians of the rhythm section of the Parker Quintet of the time, namely the drummer Max Roach and the pianist Duke Jordan . Since the young Miles Davis was also a member of the band on trumpet , this line-up is considered by many fans and critics to be one of the most musically convincing in Parker's career. It is also particularly well documented on records , these numerous recordings give a good insight into the solid, unspectacular accompanying work Potter.

Potter and Parker met in 1944 during their time together in the big band of the singer Billy Eckstine , who the bassist had joined after his first experiences in more traditional swing ensembles (for example with the trombonist Trummy Young ). The Eckstine band from 1943 to 1945 is still considered to be one of the earliest "breeding grounds" for modern jazz . Parker, who came from the Kansas City jazz tradition , expected rhythmic inspiration primarily from the drums, but from the bass, steadfast walking lines in the style of Walter Page . Tommy Potter corresponded perfectly to this musical conception.

Apart from periods of intensive touring activities (such as with Parker in Europe in 1949 or various times with Jazz at the Philharmonic ), the bassist also always pursued civil professions in addition to his musical work. Nevertheless, his reputation as "the bassist Charlie Parkers" helped him for decades to regular engagements with the big names of the jazz scene, including such diverse musicians as Earl Hines , Count Basie and Benny Goodman , but also stars of the more modern jazz styles such as Gil Evans ( Great Jazz Standards 1959) or Stan Getz .

literature

• Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon . Directmedia, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89853-018-3 .