Imaginary Cities

One of the most respected saxophonists in jazz since his arrival in the early ‘90s, Chris Potter has credits including Dave Holland, Steely Dan, and recently Pat Metheny Unity Band. He expands his eclectic Underground Quartet here to include a string quartet, two bassists, and vibes. While Potter generally stays within the language of bebop, he pushes into avant-garde (“Firefly”), electronic (“Sky”), and classical music (“Shadow Self”) as well. The four-part title piece is the cornerstone here: among other things, it deftly fuses the strings and the jazz-band sound together in a textured and cinematic way that's quite impressive.