Jazz Articles about James Carter

Sphinx and Preacher: James Carter and the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir

by Eric Benson
March 20, 2009

Odean Pope Saxophone Choir, featuring James Carter Blue Note New York, New York March 15, 2009 For the first thirty minutes of its set on Sunday night, the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir displayed its signature blend of precision and warmth, eight saxophones—nine when Pope stopped conducting and took up his axe—soaring and diving in unison like a well-built wooden rollercoaster. Pope's ensemble delivered a funky opener, a knotty tribute to Max Roach, and ...

James Carter: Something Old, Something New

by Matt Marshall
August 4, 2008

Multi-instrumentalist James Carter has always had eclectic tastes. That was evident on his debut, JC on the Set (Columbia, 1994), where the squeaks and blips linked him to the avant camp of Eric Dolphy and the tenor swoons nestled him comfortably within the traditional velvet of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster.

Subsequent releases found him venturing further along each of those paths individually, splitting the new and the traditional like Proust taking Swann's Way (1913) and ...

James Carter: Present Tense

by Greg Camphire
June 17, 2008

Multi-reedist James Carter has been steadily chugging along as a master of many instruments and styles since his auspicious recording debut in the early '90s, often operating under the radar while maintaining a consistent commitment to quality performances.

With the release of Present Tense, Carter lets us know exactly where he's at with a well-paced collection of lyrical and concise statements, harvesting a deep sense of swing and letting his curious imagination roam free with the ...

James Carter: Present Tense

by Joel Roberts
June 10, 2008

Detroit-born James Carter burst on the New York jazz scene in the early 1990s and quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the tenor saxophone and a host of other reed instruments. A technically advanced player with more than a touch of hip hop swagger, Carter stood apart from fellow Neo-traditionalist newcomers both with his superior chops and his flair for showmanship. Present Tense, produced by the legendary Michael Cuscuna, is really a ...

James Carter: Present Tense

by Frederick Bernas
May 24, 2008

James Carter may not yet be forty, but he possesses a degree of instrumental mastery which could easily be a lifetime's work. At different stages of this record, the versatile multi-instrumentalist plays tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones as well as flute and bass clarinet, all with equal power and precision.

This diverse approach to instrumental voicing is reflected in the range of material selected for Present Tense, Carter's first outing as a leader since 2005. From pacey post-bop inflections to ...

James Carter: Present Tense

by Troy Collins
May 22, 2008

Omnipresent in the late 1990s, James Carter's output has been erratic ever since Atlantic Records (his former label) dissolved their jazz department in 2000. A pleasing return to form, Present Tense is the poll-winning multi-instrumentalist's first recording in three years, ably produced by the renowned Michael Cuscuna, whose goal was to “capture the breadth of James' mastery of this music."

After a string of concept albums, including the electric free-funk of Layin' In The Cut (Atlantic, 2000), an ...

James Carter Bows to Lady Day in Albany

by R.J. DeLuke
March 19, 2006

James Carter The Egg Albany, NY March 5, 2006

James Carter came into The Egg, Albany NY's hippest concert venue, on March 5. It's a venue he's played before, and again it seemed, at times, as though he would blow the lid of the unique egg-shaped structure that adorns New York state's capital city.

This time, Carter featured music from his Gardenias for Lady Day CD that came out a couple years ...