Chris Potter to première of seven new compositions with the Inner City Ensemble this April

Ahead of four northern dates with the Inner City Ensemble, jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader Chris Potter has announced seven new compositions to be premièred at shows in Manchester, Warrington, Morecambe and Bradford as part of the second edition of the Jazz Directors Series this April.

The compositions, with pieces entitled ‘Come When The Nights’, ‘It Never Can Be Mine’ and ‘We Wear The Mask’, have been written and arranged specifically for the Inner City Ensemble – ten of the UK’s most exciting young jazz and crossover musicians, handpicked by Potter following an open call for participation. In addition to performing new compositions, the ensemble will perform pieces composed for Potter’s acclaimed Underground Orchestra album Imaginary Cities, released on ECM in 2015.

Using unorthodox instrumentation, this incarnation of the Inner City Ensemble will feature two bass players, string quartet, vibraphone and marimba and consists of musicians who have played in a diverse mixture of classical and jazz settings including Manchester Camerata, BBC Symphony Orchestra & National Youth Symphony and Jazz Orchestras, plus collaborations with Jasper Høiby, Elliot Galvin, Bill Laurance and BBC Young Musician Jazz Award finalist Tom Ridout. In preparation for the four dates, the ensemble will learn and rehearse new compositions for five days with Potter at Band on the Wall, starting on Sunday 9^th April.

Chris Potter and the Inner City Ensemble perform live in Manchester, Warrington, Morecambe and Bradford from 13^th to 16^th April and tickets for the performances are available here.