By Nils Jacobson

Daniel Carter is not exactly a household name. The Saxophonist/trumpeter has been making improvised music for decades, but he still remains largely unknown. Obscurity did not arise because he intentionally kept a low profile. Quite the contrary: he’s worked with some of the most influential figures on the avant garde music scene, such as Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra.

In order to better understand the Carter phenomenon, one must appreciate his commitment to functional anarchism. Anarchism, according to Carter, represents “the idea of people freely associating, and deciding for themselves individually and collectively what they want to do”-- minus governmental interference or hierarchical social structures. His ideals may seem unrealistic in this era of big government and conservative social thinking, but Carter has made them the core of his career.

To actualize his vision, Carter seeks out collective groups where each member equally shares the responsibility of leadership. “I feel most fortunate that ‘most every group that I play in is a musical collective,” he says. One of his most exciting recent projects is a free jazz quartet called TEST, which released its first record in 1999 after performing for seven years on the streets and in the subways of New York City. In the TEST collective, every player shares the burden of composition; the resulting music overflows with spontaneity and heartfelt personal expression.

To the extent that he has made anarchism his guiding philosophy, Carter has eschewed situations of hierarchical structure. “By degrees in NYC since 1970, I would run the other way, rather than be a leader or a sideman,” he explains. “I believe that the Spirit is the leader.” Unfortunately, jazz promoters and publicists usually look for groups led by individuals, in order to make it easier for them to get the word out to the listening public. By working in collectives, a musician pays the price of indifference from the people who control record contracts and performance scheduling. The net result: major challenges to his career.

But being excluded from the mainstream hasn’t kept Daniel Carter from playing on the street in NYC since 1978. Carter played solo saxophone in various areas of downtown New York on a weekly basis for over ten years. While it’s not a lucrative business, street performance pays in the way that counts the most. Carter explains: “I think some of us are so poor that every two or three dollars that we get counts. But, like Sabir [Mateen] said [in Jazz Times], it’s more about feeding the soul than the pocketbook.”