Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Guardian	[3]
All About Jazz	[4]

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "Potter and his quartet are taking the gift of post-bop jazz and moving into new territories tonally, harmonically, and yes, thankfully, lyrically. This is forward-thinking music that is full of emotion, swing, and sophistication. It is readily accessible for anyone willing to encounter it either historically or on its own terms. Lift is a sharp, tough, and streetwise record of a fine gig played in a jazz temple with aplomb and sass. It points in new directions and offers a solid portrait of the artist as not only a strident voice, but as a visionary as well".[2]

The Guardian 's John Fordham noted "Potter himself is often dazzling - particularly on two unaccompanied tenor sax overtures - though his muscular long lines and whirling ascents and descents occasionally substitute sound and fury for shape and contrast".[3]

All About Jazz correspondent John Kelman observed "While Potter's sheer technical prowess sometimes threatens to overpower his innate musicality, for the most part he makes statements that are well-conceived, developed and executed. Eschewing the more concept-laden work of his past couple of albums, Lift is a celebration of playing at its most pure".[4]

In JazzTimes Chris Kelsey wrote "tenor saxophonist Chris Potter’s Live at the Village Vanguard (Sunnyside) is, by any and all contemporary standards, a superb live album, thanks to some unruly ensemble work".[5]

All compositions by Chris Potter except where indicated

1. "7.5" (Bill Stewart) − 14:57
2. "What You Wish" − 13:51
3. "Stella by Starlight" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) − 7:16
4. "Lift" − 11:58
5. "Okinawa" − 9:15
6. "Boogie Stop Shuffle Sax Intro" − 4:13
7. "Boogie Stop Shuffle" (Charles Mingus) − 15:09

• Chris Potter - tenor saxophone
• Kevin Hays - piano, Fender Rhodes
• Scott Colley − bass
• Bill Stewart - drums