Grammy-nominated saxophonist Chris Potter and his quartet, Underground, will perform at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 17^th Annual Jazz Festival on Friday, February 1.

Shows will be performed at noon and 7:30 p.m. in Michelsen Hall in UWSPs Noel Fine Arts Center, sponsored by the UWSP Department of Music.

The cost is $18 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and $12 for youth and students. Tickets are available at University Information and Tickets in the Dreyfus University Center concourse or by calling (715) 346-4100 or (800) 838-3378.

Both a composer and musician, 38-year-old Potter has been called the best saxophonist of his generation. He began playing music on the guitar and piano at age three and the saxophone at age 10. He performed his first jazz gig at age 13 and when he graduated from high school he played alto, tenor and soprano saxophone, bass clarinet and alto flute.

He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he worked with pianist Kenny Werner and trumpet great Red Rodney. He recorded five CDs with Concord, including 1998s "Vertigo," named one of the years best by The New York Times. He also performed on Steely Dans Grammy-nominated album, "Two Against Nature," and toured with the group in 1994. He has played around the world in jazz festivals and ensembles.

In 1999, Potter was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo for his work on Joanne Brackeens "Pink Elephant Magic." He was the youngest recipient of the annual Danish Jazzpar Prize in 2000. His 2001 CD, "Gratitude," with Verve Records, paid tribute to his influences, including jazz musicians John Coltraine, Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins, among others. He has since released five more CDs.

"I want my music to have emotional impact," he has said. "I want people to dance if they can, to feel the music and not think of it as something complicated and forbidding. I want to be communicating something."

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