Chanté! With this recording, I wanted to slow down the world of high, fast and loud to explore the music deeply. To delve into the essence of the melody and its various textures and colors. Chanté...to sing the music to my fingers through the saxophone as an extension of my inner voice! When planning this project, I knew I wanted both transcriptions of some of my favorite music and also compositions written for saxophone and piano. I asked Tom and Dan if they would consider writing a composition for the recording. I explained the direction of the project and voila! Tom explains his composition, "Noir e Bolero" as follows: "Noir e Bolero" draws inspiration from three sources, black and white film, the tangos of Astor Piazzolla, and, most of all, the playing, dedication, and heart that Leo brings to the music he is involved in." Dan's composition, "Trois Vues" is a story of one's morning journey along a lonely path that ends with a glorious light-filled movement. This is the opening track and sets the mood for Chanté! The remaining compositions are by Jean-Marie Leclair, Jules Garcin, Peter Tchaikovsky, and J.S. Bach. We hope you enjoy Chanté! Leo Potts Bio Leo Potts, Saxophone Artist, has built an international reputation for his creative and sensitive interpretations of music scores ranging from classical to popular. In 1966, he entered the National Conservatory of Music in Paris to study under Marcel Mule and Daniel Deffayet. To further perfect his art, he returned to the United States to study intensively with Phil Sobel, a former NBC staff musician who is lauded for his creative concepts in saxophone teaching. Mr. Potts performed as a soloist with his gifted accompanist, Jack Reidling and was a founding a member of the highly praised West Coast Saxophone Quartet. In addition to his concertizing and recording, and is Professor Emeritus of Saxophone at California State University, Long Beach. During this time, he was principle saxophonist with the American Winds, the California Wind Orchestra, and the Long Beach Municipal Band. He is also active nationally as a clinician and Yamaha Performing Artist. Tom Ranier Bio Born in Chicago and raised in Southern California, Tom Ranier studied piano and clarinet and earned a bachelor's degree in compositon from California State University Fullerton. After road work with Joey Bishop, Helen Reddy and Donna Summer, Tom became actively involved in the Los Angeles recording studios playing and writing for TV, records and film while maintaining a developing jazz career. His studio work includes recordings with such luminaries as Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder to name a very few. He has worked in film and TV extensively and has accompanied many international stars such as Andreas Bocelli and Bette Midler. He has released three solo albums, "In the Still of the Night", "RANIER", and "Night Music". Please visit leopotts.com and tomranier@me.com for more information on these artists.