Tommy Potter

American jazz double bassist (1918–1988)

Tommy Potter
Potter in 1947
Background information
Birth name	Charles Thomas Potter
Born	(1918-09-21)September 21, 1918 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	March 1, 1988(1988-03-01) (aged 69)
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Double bass

Musical artist

Charles Thomas Potter (September 21, 1918 – March 1, 1988)^[1] was an American jazz double bass player, best known for having been a member of Charlie Parker's "classic quintet", with Miles Davis, between 1947 and 1950.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,^[1] Potter had first played with Parker in 1944, in Billy Eckstine's band with Dizzy Gillespie, Lucky Thompson and Art Blakey.^[2]

Potter also performed and recorded with many other notable jazz musicians, including Earl Hines, Artie Shaw, Bud Powell, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Max Roach, Eddie Heywood, Tyree Glenn, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Buck Clayton and Charles Lloyd.^[1]

Discography

Tommy Potter's Hard Funk, (East-West, 1956)

As sideman

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins (Prestige, 1956) – with Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins and Art Taylor

With Gene Ammons

All Star Sessions (Prestige, 1950–55 [1956])

With Al Cohn

Al Cohn's Tones (Savoy, 1950 [1956])

With Tommy Flanagan

The Tommy Flanagan Trio (Moodsville, 1960)

With Jimmy Forrest

Out of the Forrest (Prestige, 1961)
Sit Down and Relax with Jimmy Forrest (Prestige, 1961)
Most Much! (Prestige, 1961)
Soul Street (New Jazz, 1962)

With Stan Getz

Stan Getz Quartets (Prestige, 1949–50 [1955])
The Complete Roost Recordings (Blue Note, 1950–54 [1997])

With Willis Jackson

Please Mr. Jackson (Prestige, 1959)
Cool "Gator" (Prestige, 1959)
Blue Gator (Prestige, 1959)
Together Again! (Prestige, 1959 [1965]) – with Jack McDuff
Together Again, Again (Prestige, 1959 [1966]) – with Jack McDuff

With Jo Jones

Vamp 'til Ready (Everest, 1960)

With Cecil Payne

Patterns of Jazz (Savoy, 1956)

With Freddie Redd

Freddie Redd in Sweden (1956)

With Sonny Stitt

Kaleidoscope (Prestige, 1950 [1957])
Stitt's Bits (Prestige, 1950 [1958])
Stitt in Orbit (Roost, 1962)

With Joe Williams

Together (Roulette, 1961) with Harry "Sweets" Edison

With Phil Woods

Four Altos (Prestige, 1957) – with Gene Quill, Sahib Shihab and Hal Stein

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1982. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
^ Paul Desmond Interviews Charlie Parker Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 28, 2013.