The Sirens (Chris Potter album)

The Sirens
Studio album by Chris Potter
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
Transatlantic (2011) The Sirens (2013) Imaginary Cities (2015)

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.

Reception

Professional ratings

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

All compositions by Chris Potter except as indicated

1. "Wine Dark Sea" - 8:47
2. "Wayfinder" - 6:49
3. "Dawn (With Her Rosy Fingers)" - 7:23
4. "The Sirens" - 8:38
5. "Penelope" - 7:14
6. "Kalypso" - 8:24
7. "Nausikaa" - 5:40
8. "Stranger at the Gate" - 8:12
9. "The Shades" (Potter, David Virelles) - 2:11

Personnel

• Chris Potter – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
• Craig Taborn – piano
• David Virelles – prepared piano, celesta, harmonium
• Larry Grenadier – double bass
• Eric Harland – drums

References

1. ECM catalogue
2. "Chris Potter – The Sirens". Discogs . discogs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
3. "THE SIRENS by Chris Potter". Metacritic . Retrieved 10 July 2018.
4. Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed December 18, 2013.
5. Fordham, J. The Guardian Review, February 8, 2013
6. Kelman, J. Extended Analysis - Chris Potter: The Sirens, All About Jazz, January 25, 2013
7. Patterson, I. The Sirens Review, March 27, 2013