The Joe Potenza Jazz Quartet

Joe Potenza is one of the premier jazz bass players playing the RI jazz scene today.

The Joe Potenza Quartet plays every Friday night at Aspire Restaurant in the Hotel Providence.

Joe is a Rhode Island native who grew up playing electric bass in rock, R&B and funk bands, and doing commercial work.

To his credit, Joe has played in a local band called ‘Contact’ with Dave Tanury and Vinny Pagano. Over the years, Joe has played with Joe Esposito, Ed Tomassi, Dan Moretti, Greg Abate, Paul Murphy, Jack Menna, Alan Dawson and trumpet player Mike Metheny ( yes, Pat’s brother). Joe has opened for the Neville Brothers too! Joe is also a member of the Chili Brothers with Tony Medeiros and Greg Takemoto.

            So how does a local rock bass player end up doing a great Jazz gig. By going to local sessions and sitting in with jazz players. It’s a hard learning curve. Joe says that ‘you just have to jump in and do it’. “You learn so much by sitting in with guys that have more experience than you. In the ‘old days, that’s how all those great players did it”.

Joe has a reputation of showing up to gigs with at least two electric basses, just to be prepared. He’s been referred to as the ‘Swiss Army’ bass player. I’ve seen Joe play an inexpensive borrowed bass at a jam, and make it sound like he’d been playing it for years. Why? It’s not the price or quality of the instrument, but the ability of the player, and the quality of the music. I’ve seen Joe play a fretless electric bass at Aspire. If you didn’t see him playing it, you’d swear he was playing a full size double bass with a bow. Again, it’s the ability of the musician that makes the quality of the music so good. Joe’s mission is to try to get listeners and players alike to appreciate the fact that you can play an electric bass in a jazz context, and really make it ‘swing’.

With all those gigs to his credit, Joe now has a jazz quartet which plays every Friday night at the Aspire Restaurant in the Hotel Providence.  The Hotel Providence and Aspire have been very supportive of Joe’s Quartet, even with management changes and a sagging economy. That’s the kind of professionalism and musicianship that Joe brings to his gig.

 Joe brings in different players every week. No matter what group Joe puts together for the evening, there is never a chance of being disappointed. This Friday Joe’s Quartet includes Debra Mann on piano and vocals, Mike Turk on Chromatic Harmonica and Steve Langone on drums. (If you read my earlier blog on The Dave Zinno Jazz Trio, you'll remember reading about Steve) 

So stop by Aspire on a Friday and enjoy some swinging jass with the Joe Potenza Jazz Quartet.