The Jazz Mentality: Show Business Is My Life

Recorded in 1994 at the Greenwich House in New York City, this album conveys a go-for-broke attitude. With tunes such as Bobby Timmons’ “Dis’ Here,” Miles Davis’ “Solar,” and a self-described original called “Art Blakey, Art Blakey,” this quartet plants itself boldly in the bop and hard bop tradition. Chris Potter, on tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, is the best-known of the players. Listening to this album makes you realize how much he has grown in three years. (This is no indictment of his playing here, though.)

Pianist Steve Elmer, bassist Ralph Hamperian, and drummer Myles Weinstein are all hard-core jazzmen who take it upon themselves to assure that the music is uplifting, energetic, and dedicated. Hamperian’s percussive bass style leaps out like Mingus at the strings. The fast-paced originals, “State of Mind” and “Yellow Petals,” show that the band can put its chops where its attitude is. Solid stuff.

Originally Published June 1, 1997