Chris Potter, one of jazz’s most powerful jazz reeds-players, has always seemed like the ideal sideman, perhaps better suited to enhancing the stories of others than to generating his own. But there’s a new creative tension within the quartet for his third ECM album as leader, perhaps because there seem to be two key partnerships complementing and challenging each other within it: Potter’s with longtime bass sidekick Joe Martin, and Cuban-American pianist David Virelles’ edgier, contemporary one with drummer Marcus Gilmore. […] the title track is a standout, with its ardent, songlike theme for bass clarinet. But Virelles’ solo on the Indian rhythms of ‘Yasodhara’ – a tapestry of spidery wanderings, long pauses and Cecil Tayloresque bursts, with Gilmore right on his heels – is possibly the session’s most breathtaking improvisation.
John Fordham, The Guardian
‘The Dreamer Is the Dream’ is a testament to Potter's composing as much as to his multi-reed instrumentality. He penned each of the compositions here and they all speak to a deeper sense of mortality, portrayed through lyricism and emotive performances. Potter's responsiveness as a leader shines through in the beautifully orchestrated work of this quartet. One of Potter's best to date.
Karl Ackermann, All About Jazz
In keeping with making every ECM release a distinct entity, Potter unveils this whole new combo for ‘The Dreamer’, and their musical personalities by themselves alter how his compositions are rendered. It’s tight where it should be, loose where improvisation is needed to take a song to greater heights. The leader himself avails himself to four kinds of reeds, a flute, an African thumb piano and even delving a bit into 21st century sampling. […] With a new quartet and a few new twists but that same elite-class reeds playing and composing, ‘The Dreamer Is The Dream’ keeps Chris Potter at the head of the class.
S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews
One of the most important of today’s tenor titans, Chris Potter produces another strong release with the cogent team of David Virelles/p-key, Joe Martin/b and Marcus Gilmore/dr. […] Creative, modern, expressive and still accessible!
George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
‘The Dreamer Is the Dream’ is impressive for all the right reasons. Potter's tunes are all top flight, for one. He appears to have written them for the considerable strength of this band and he makes no attempt to ride herd over them. For their part, the players' intuitive engagement with him and one another is dictated by a collective willingness to let the music do the primary talking and respond in kind. This is yet another strong outing for Potter.
Thom Jurek, All Music
Diesmal zeigt er sich mit einem neuen Quartett, das ein sehr durchkonzipiertes Programm aus sechs Stücken Potters interpretiert. Die Expressivität, mit der er spielt – in der Nachfolge Michael Breckers, auf Coltrane und Rollins verweisend – bekommt mit der neuen Gruppe ein interessantes Gegengewicht: durch den kubanischen, in New York lebenden Pianisten David Virelles. Dessen reduzierter Stil, sein immenses Können im Aufbau eines Solos, seine an den jungen Keith Jarrett erinnernde Fantasie zu erleben, gehört zu den Highlights von ‚Dreamer‘.
Karl Lippegaus, Stereo
‘The Dreamer Is The Dream’, en quartet, marque un nouveau pas dans sa carrière. […] Ouvrant l’album avec une belle ballade coltranienne (‘Heart In Hand’), il donne libre cours à sa sensibilité, qui est plus vive qu’on ne croyait, avant de se lancer dans une effervescente improvisation sur ‘Ilimba’, oû le pianiste David Virelles montre l’étendue de son inspiration – un musicien à suivre. Potter brille également à la clarinette basse. La rythmique, constituée de ces as que sont Joe Martin à la contrebasse et Marcus Gilmore à la batterie, est pour beaucoup dans la réussite de ce disque illustrant le mainstream actuel, qui a abandonné la référence au hard-bop des années 60 et 70.
Michel Contât, Télérama
Among great saxophonists, the 46-year-old American reedman, thanks to talent, untold hours spent honing his skills and perhaps divine grace, may well rule supreme. The latest testament to Potter’s abilities is his 19th album as a leader and third album in four years on the famed German label ECM Records. Released late last month, the album features Potter’s staggering talents on tenor saxophone (his main horn), bass clarinet and soprano saxophone on a set of six originals that expand into epic excursions as Potter’s quartet explores them. There are flashes of the dazzling eloquence and especially the expressive power that makes Potter the envy of many of his peers. But more than that, the album resonates with a special gravitas. […] ‘The Dreamer Is The Dream’ packs a huge amount of imagination and significance into its 51 minutes. Given Potter’s inimitable capabilities, plus his agile, world-class sidemen, that should have been expected. Nonetheless, the album’s music continues to surprise and delight over repeated listens.
Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
In diesen Partnern hat Potter selbst (*1971) die kongeniale Gesellschaft für seine überzeugende, traumwandlerisch (selbst-)sichere und gleichzeitig von viel Empathie getragene Musik: viel Kraft, allein schon im Ton (auf allen drei Instrumenten: dem hauptsächlichen Tenor, das dem des verstorbenen Michael Brecker brüderlich verwandt klingt; dem nie nöligen Sopran – mal intensiv wie eine Oboe, mal sonor wie ein Cello -; dem warmen Sound der Bassklarinette). Eine sehr persönliche Musik ‚in the tradition‘, vom balladesken Intro mit dem sprechenden Titel ‚Heart In Hand‘ bis zum ‚light hearted kicker‘ (Potter), dem ausgelassenen Rausschmeisser „Sonic Anomaly“.
Peter Rüedi, Die Weltwoche
Potters emotionale Qualität ist es, seiner Virtuosität ein Gefühl zu verleihen, für das es im Englischen den schönen Ausdruck ‚soaring‘ gibt, der eigentlich den Aufwärtsflug eines Adlers beschreibt […] Für das Album ‚The Dreamer Is The Dream‘ hat der Produzent Manfred Eicher die überschäumende Kreativität in Bahnen kanalisiert, die das Rauschhafte nicht ausklammern, aber auf ein fürs Plattenhören vernünftiges Maß bringen. Es ist das werk eines Ausnahmemusikers, der alle Aussichten hat, als bedeutendster Saxofonist seiner Zeit in die Musikgeschichte einzugehen. Auch wenn nur wenige seinen Namen kennen.
Andrian Kreye Süddeutsche Zeitung
