Release date: 8 May 2026

Chris Potter Saxophones

Bill Frisell Guitar

Burniss Travis Bass

Rane Moore Clarinet

Zekkereya El-magharbel Trombone

Sara Caswell Violin

Nate Smith Drums

Chris Potter’s Alive With Ghosts Today brings together Bill Frisell, Nate Smith and Burniss Travis with Rane Moore (clarinet), Zekkereya El-Magharbel (trombone) and Sara Caswell (violin) in a deliberately off-centre ensemble that places Potter’s tenor and soprano inside a textured, human-scale sound world. Written around the story of abolitionist John Brown and the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry, the album confronts a moment that exposed deep fractures at the heart of the American narrative. “It’s a story that holds the complexity and tragedy of America in one moment,” Potter says. “It felt important to engage with it now.”

“I didn’t want a big band or an orchestra – I wanted something in between, almost like a slightly unruly village band,” Potter explains. Drawing on Copland-like openness, blues, gospel and African rhythm, the instrumentation creates a distinctly American atmosphere that feels rooted yet subtly tilted. Written with specific voices in mind, and shaped by the seriousness and focus of the musicians, the project began, as Potter puts it, “as a hope and a prayer,” before becoming something collective – “larger than any one of us.”

Excerpt from Liner Notes:

Like many Americans, I struggle to come to terms with all the complexities and contradictions of our country. Looking to the past can often help our understanding of the present. In that spirit, I wrote this music, exploring the legacy of John Brown’s Raid.

On the night of October 16, 1859, John Brown led a biracial group of 22 men to take over the United States’ Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. He intended to start a slave revolt and gain freedom for all Southern slaves. Ten of the raiders were killed during the raid, six were tried and executed, and five escaped. The raiders killed six people as well. Brown himself was hanged on December 2, 1859. 

Brown was fiercely religious and utterly determined. A white man, he dedicated his life to the abolitionist cause, and was willing to use violence to further it. Though the Harper’s Ferry Raid was unsuccessful, after Brown was captured, his statements deploring slavery made him a hero in the North, and set the stage for the Civil War less than two years later. Chris Potter

Vinyl + CD version Information:

EDNLP1293LTD – Deluxe Limited Edition Double Gatefold Vinyl includes:

– Double Vinyl gatefold design
– 2 exclusive bonus tracks, featuring the quartet line-up only (Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, Nate Smith, Burniss Travis) – not available on streaming services
– exclusive artwork and vinyl colour
– digital download of all 10 tracks
– limited edition – only 250 available online via Edition Records store

EDNLP1293 – Standard Vinyl includes:

– Single LP
– 8 tracks, featuring full ensemble line-up
– digital download

CD variations:

– All CDs include standard tracklisting and digital download – 8 tracks, featuring full ensemble line-up
– CD + Digital Bonus Tracks includes additional digital download of 2 bonus tracks, featuring the quartet line-up only (Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, Nate Smith, Burniss Travis) – not available on streaming services