In 1975, Steve Potts left Steve Lacy for a time to compose Musique pour le film d’un ami following the proposition from the film’s director Joaquín Lledó. With guest musicians of quality and from vairied horizons (Ambrose Jackson, Jean-Jacques Avenel, Frank Abel, Elie Ferré, Christian Escoudé…), the saxophonise recorded a soundtrack ranging from modal jazz to free funk and from dirty grooves, to java wah-wah with disconcerting elegance. Rather than blaxploitation, Potts and his group offer us their mixploitation made in Paris which would be recognised way beyond the boundaries of La Défense.

If you have never seen Sujet ou le secrétaire aux 1001 tiroirs, Steve Potts will allow you to listen to it. The film was made by a friend of his, Joaquin Noessi, a pseudonym of Joaquín Lledó, for which the saxophonist composed the music in the mid- seventies. It was recorded in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Potts was joined by the musicians he played with regularly at the time with Steve Lacy (Jean-Jacques Avenel, Ambrose Jackson, Kenneth Tyler) but not just them...

Because, on Musique pour le film d’un ami, we can also hear funk musicians (pianist Frank Abel and percussionist Donny Donable, both also expatriates, who played in the group Ice), nimble French musicians (Elie Ferré and Christian Escoudé on guitars, Joss Basselli on accordion) and unclassifiable men-of-all-seasons (Keno Speller on percussion and Gus Nemeth on double bass). The production was assured by another Iconoclastic figure: Jef Gilson.

It was an eclectic team, and they made an eclectic album. As is shown by the track titles: Java, Tango, Street Blues, Rock (La Défense), Bhagavad-Gita... Paris, is Babylonia and Steve Potts just has to shake it all up and let the notes pour out: modal, (even cosmic, jazz) free funk, dirty grooves, cool jam sessions, bistro boogie, java wah-wah... On Street Blues, the actor’s voice advises us to: “Listen to the music, listen to the magic voice!” That voice belongs to Steve Potts, and thanks to Souffle Continu it sings out again today, as they rerelease the only record made under his name: Musique pour le film d’un ami, a shattering album of shattered atmospheres.

Musique from the film "Sujet ou Le secrétaire aux 1001 Tiroirs" by Joachim Noessi.

Steve Potts - Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone. Joss Basselli – Accordion. Elie Ferré - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar. Keno Speller – Bongos. Gus Nemeth, Jean-Jacques Avenel - Double Bass. Donny Donable, Kenny Tyler – Drums. Christian Escoudé - Electric Guitar. Frank Abel – Piano.