Jazz Articles about Ron Carter

like 242

Don Sleet: All Members

by Derek Taylor
March 1, 2002

Jazz, like any commercial art form, is a proving ground populated by far more practitioners than actually make the cut. The analogy of an iceberg is apropos. For every musician whose talent rises above the sea of public opinion’s surface there are literally thousands of others that toil away in obscurity beneath the waves. In the spring of 61’ Don Sleet seemed set to become one of the chosen few situated for stardom. Formidable brass chops sharpened in gigs as ...

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Ron Carter and Jim Hall: Telepathy

by C. Michael Bailey
August 1, 2001

Duo music as important as that of Haydn and Mozart.

Telepathy is the union on compact disc of two Ron Carter/Jim Hall live collaborations. Live at the Village Gate (Concord 4245, 1984) comprises the first disc of this two-disc set, while Telephone (Concord 4270, 1985) comprises the second. Collectively, Telepathy offers a seamless look a to of the most urbane and intelligent jazz musicians performing. Ron Carter brings to this duo his abstract yet grounded view of double-bass playing while ...

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Ron Carter: Pick 'Em/Super Strings

by Derek Taylor
August 1, 2001

Ron Carter’s place in the preeminent line of master jazz bassists is unassailable. Possessing a gargantuan technique he’s been a prominent bandleader and session man since his start in the late 1950s. Where he’s come under justifiable critical fire over the years is in his at times lamentable choice of projects. The two Milestone dates gathered on this recent two-fer unfortunately add ammunition to the claims.

Pick ‘Em matches Carter’s piccolo bass, a custom upright tuned to just below cello ...

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Ron Carter: When Skies Are Grey

by Michael Fortuna
July 1, 2001

The album cover for Ron Carter's When Skies Are Grey shows the jazz bassist contemplatively looking up toward an overcast New York City sky.Perhaps the title is in reference to how Carter felt during the recording sessions because his wife had died the week before. He attended funeral services over that weekend and came to the studio the following Monday morning.But when you listen to the music that came from those sessions, you'll hear the consummate ...

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Benny Golson: One Day, Forever

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

Benny Golson’s latest Arkadia release, One Day, Forever, arose from a taping of some of Golson’s previous band members from the Jazztet: Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller. At the end of a European tour, they were so rushed they that they didn’t record long enough to fill an entire CD. Arkadia owner Bob Karcy kept the tape in the can, and he and Golson kept that recording in mind, in the intervening five years, during which Farmer passed. After Golson ...

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Ron Carter: When Skies Are Grey...

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 1, 2001

Sometimes knowing the whole story can enhance the appreciation of a work of art. In the case of When Skies Are Grey..., the death of Carter's wife around the same time as the recording session helped make the disc a tangible example of the human spirit overcoming adversity. Far from the gloomy state that its title might suggest, this record could arguably be one of the bassist's finest efforts to date, and that's saying something considering that his capacious catalog ...

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Ron Carter: When Skies Are Grey...

by Jim Santella
February 1, 2001

While a Latin jazz element is his focus for this project, veteran Ron Carter’s recordings always hold the mainstream of jazz in high regard. A quiet session that swings, the bassist’s latest album swirls through the tradition with a light conga tinge. Bob Freedman’s intricate arrangements place the bassist in roles ranging from opening obbligato to soothing melody and focused improvisation. Pianist Stephen Scott brings a fresh approach to the session, particularly on Ray Bryant’s “Cubano Chant,” where he stretches ...