My brother was a great fan of European classical music, my mother sang gospel and my father preferred jazz. Steve Potts was immersed in music from an early age, and his early career was full of encounters with the great musicians who were to provide his training. From an educational point of view, apart from his architecture studies, he first attended Charles Lloyd's courses in California in the mid-50s. After working for a time as an architect in New York, he also received advice from Eric Dolphy at a time when he was turning towards a career as a musician, due to the contracts that were piling up with Chico Hamilton. Willing to experiment with different musical styles, he went on to play with the New York avant-garde, the rhythm'n'blues scene and a number of jazz fusion groups. But his last American experiences, in the mid-70s, were mainly with Chico Hamilton's band, when Steve Potts chose Paris as his new jazz home. One of his first loyal partners in the French capital was guitarist Christian Escoudé, while he took part in numerous French sessions with other American musicians based in Europe or visiting on their international tours. Among these, an intimate collaboration links him to Steve Lacy, alongside the development of his experiences as a leader. Always a fixture on the Paris club scene, Steve Potts is a highly talented improviser, always eager for late-night jam sessions. He has also made a name for himself recently with his film scores, in which he skilfully blends modern jazz with hip hop.