Jazz Room Presents: Dave Potter

Retro Groove: Hits from the 80s Renowned drummer Dave Potter featuring NEA Jazz Master Jason Marsalis, will take you on a nostalgic groove down memory lane, celebrating your favorite 1980’s hits with music from his recently released album, Retro Grooves 2. Potter performs the most tastefully arranged jazz renditions of popular 80’s classic from artists including Whitney Houston, The Doobie Brothers, Paula Abdul, Toto, Michael Jackson, and more. When trying to describe the music of Dave Potter, one word probably comes to mind more than any other. Intensity. Contrary to many of his peers, Potter got a late start when he began to play drum set while attending high school in Durham, North Carolina. Fascinated with the pyrotechnics and grooves of funk/fusion drummers such as Billy Cobham and Dennis Chambers, Dave arrived at a musical crossroads when introduced to the early recordings of Tony Williams with the Miles Davis Quintet. Initially his youthful overconfidence wouldn’t allow him to admit it, but although he had a basic understanding of the techniques and rhythms of backbeat-based music, Jazz was a complete and total mystery. Potter became obsessed with trying to interpret this new foreign musical “language” and was lucky to find mentorship with educator and jazz trumpeter Dr. Andrew Sioberg. In the spring of 2025, he will be releasing his third studio album as a leader. By delving deeper into the concepts first heard on their previous self-titled album, Dave Potter & Retro Groove are proving that it is indeed possible to have your “musical” cake and eat it too! Clever arrangements of 80’s classics by Whitney Houston, Rush, The Isley Brothers, Toto, and more blended with an infectious blend of swing and blues make a compelling case to both the Jazz purist and the casual pop fan alike.