THE old adage goes that you have to suffer for your art.

And that was the case for Chris Potter when he wrote Vertigo, named one of the top 10 jazz CDs of 1998 by The New York Times.

The album was Chris’s reaction to a bout of Ménière’s disease that caused severe dizziness and left him with permanent damage in one ear when he was in his mid 20s.

“It felt like a test,” he said.

“I didn’t know if it would happen in both ears and whether I would be able to hear anymore. At times I couldn’t get out of bed because the room was spinning.

“It was a nightmare but if anything it made me more determined to keep on going once I made it through that rough patch.

“I can’t hear out of one ear so I definitely have residual issues from it but I don’t feel like it’s stopped me. If anything maybe it’s helped me be more focused.

“Everyone suffers in different ways but if you can express it in some positive way that’s good therapy.”

The 46-year-old certainly did not let it stop him because fast forward two decades and he is still at the top of his game as a jazz saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist.

Chris, who grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, began his professional career as a musician when he was 13 after he began to learn the sax at 10.

He added: “I heard my parents’ records. They had a handful of jazz records that I could identify with and there were some musicians in the Columbia area that I saw play.

“There was actually a band that came to my elementary school. I must have been eight and the saxophonist in that band was the guy I actually ended up studying with.”

One record that had a huge impact on Chris was hearing saxophonist Paul Desmond on Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out.

He said: “There was something in the beauty of that record that I’d never heard. I thought there was something interesting about the saxophone so I kept bugging my parents until they got me one.”

But Chris’s passion for music was quite a solitary pursuit at first.

He added: “It was a bit odd. No one else was into this music but me. So I had this one big interest that nobody else had.

“But it never felt like a big thing. I did normal things like hang out and I was in the marching band at high school. I would do that at the football game and then afterwards I’d go and do a gig.”

Chris’s world suddenly opened up when he went to study at The School of Jazz at The New School and the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

He said: “Meeting all these young musicians who were my age and into the same music was great.

“New York has such a rich scene so it was overwhelming in some ways. Of course it’s not easy to be a young person making your way.

“The first major gig I had was when I moved to New York.

“I started playing with the trumpeter Red Rodney, who had performed in Charlie Parker’s band in the 50s.”

Now Chris is hoping to pass on the benefit of his experiences with The Inner City Ensemble as part of the Jazz Directors Series.

Following an open call for auditions, 10 of the UK’s most promising emerging jazz musicians will join Chris on stage for four concerts, including a show at the Pyramid tomorrow, Friday.

Collectively, the ensemble have played for the likes of Manchester Camerata, BBC Symphony Orchestra and National Youth Symphony and Jazz Orchestras.

Chris added: “It sounds like a really nice thing for young musicians in the area. I’m hoping to pass on the fruits of my experiences to them.

“From my point of view I get the opportunity to write some more music for a group I call the Underground Orchestra.

“I’m able to use this situation to see how the music works and workshop it with them which will benefit everybody.

“Apart from one song from the last record everything else is new so we’re all a bit in the same boat.

“Even though I’ve written the songs you never really know how it will turn out until you hear it live.”

Chris spoke to Weekend before he flew into the UK on Saturday. Before that he had a series of performances in Russia and in the west coast of the US.

He said: “It’s a fantastic thing to be able to perform music you believe in to people who are interested in hearing it and to meet people from all over the world.

“It’s also quite difficult in terms of home life and jetlag. It’s a bit of an odd way to live sometimes but when the music happens you remember why you’re doing it.

“It’s a serious life commitment. It brings some difficulties but it also brings a great deal of meaning. I hope I can share that.”

And after 15 albums and a Grammy nomination, Chris reckons he is still learning.

He added: “I see this in my heroes. I see it in Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock and Dave Holland.

“Even if they’re in their 70s or 80s music is still fascinating and they’re still trying to find new ways to put everything together.

“We’re all in the same boat whether you’re nine figuring out how it works or you’re 85 and been doing it your whole life.

“For all of us there’s still another level and something around the corner because this music is so open. It’s about reacting to the moment.”

  • Chris Potter and the Inner City Ensemble are at the Pyramid on April 14. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345 for tickets