Tommy Potter
Acoustic Bass Solo on
The Hymn

About

Tommy Potter closes out the solos on acoustic bass with two choruses, following Duke Jordan at approximately 316 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 12-bar Blues form and the key of B♭, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. Coming last in the solo order, Potter has the task of building on everything that came before while steering the performance back toward the closing head. The breakneck pace of this performance pushes every member of the quintet to the edge of their technical abilities. At this breakneck pace, the soloist must balance technical dexterity with coherent musical ideas.

Tommy Potter was 28 to 29 years old at the time.