Jazz Articles about Ron Carter

Barry Harris: Magnificent!

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2000

By the time pianist Barry Harris recorded his first session as a leader in 1958, Breakin' It Up for the Argo label, Charlie Parker had already been dead for three years and the be-bop movement that he had helped usher in was already giving way to the more visceral advance of hard bop and the beginning strains of Ornette Coleman's “new thing" approach. For Harris, who was a died-in-the-wool be-bopper, this meant coming on the scene a bit too late ...

Barry Harris: Magnificent!

by Derek Taylor
January 1, 2000

Despite the suspicious absence of modesty in the title of this disc this is one trio that definitely lives up to their chosen moniker. One tour through the eight tunes that these three players hew to their own devices is all that’s necessary to discover that their contention is no idle boast. Harris is the comparative veteran of the group. A consummate keyboardist, Harris rose to maturity during the bumpy birth of bebop out of swing. As a result his ...

Ron Carter: Orfeu

by Jim Santella
December 1, 1999

Active in both classical and jazz circles, bassist Ron Carter has also shown a preference for Brazilian music throughout his career. He's returned to Brazil each January for the past six years to perform with his ensemble and to learn from local artists. Carter, 62, and one of the most recorded jazz players of all time, wrote most of the pieces for this latest album with care taken to preserve authentic stylistic concepts. Houston Person's lyrical lead, Bill Frisell's unique, ...

Ron Carter: The Bass and I

by John Sharpe
December 1, 1997

Ron Carter's bass playing epitomizes jazz elegance and sophistication. Throughout his 35 year career he's performed on well over 500 albums and has been a model of consistent excellence. After some recent flirtations with classical music Carter returns to the jazz camp with this solid, straight-ahead recording of his working group.

For the most part Carter is content to let the spotlight shine on his gifted young pianist Stephen Scott. Scott is bright and snappy on the opening standard “You ...

Donald Byrd: Electric Byrd

by Jim Santella
December 1, 1997

This landmark recording from 1970 followed on the heels of Miles Davis' Bitch's Brew and contained many of the same elements that Miles used in his innovative ventures; jazz moved away from the wah-wah trumpet and ushered in the wah-wah guitar. With a lineup including Mickey Roker on drums, Ron Carter on bass, Duke Pearson on electric piano, Wally Richardson on electric guitar, Bill Campbell on trombone and a reed section of Jerry Dodgion, Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin and Pepper ...

McCoy Tyner: McCoy Tyner: Extensions

by Jim Santella
January 1, 1997

Three numbers on this 1970 reissue recall the classic Coltrane quartet sound, and the fourth track goes a step further, into the spiritual late period Coltrane change. Tyner's sextet here includes Alice Coltrane's harp, Wayne Shorter's tenor and soprano, Gary Bartz' alto, Elvin Jones' drums, and Ron Carter's bass.A powerful virtuoso, McCoy Tyner carried the legacy onward after Coltrane's death. “Message From The Nile," based on a 12-note, 2-bar motif stated initially by the saxophones of ...