Jazz Articles about Ron Carter

About Ron Carter

Album Review

Walter Smith III is a deceptive musician. His deep jazz roots and distinctive tenor saxophone tone mask a technique that is both complex and understated. Smith rewards attentive listeners; his mastery lies in refinement rather than display. One of the pleasures of following Smith's career is hearing him change. Though no longer a young newcomer, he continues to evolve. His tone and timbre have matured, his rhythmic command has become more supple, and his avoidance of theatrics has ...

Album Review

Mark Sherman: Bop Contest

Read "Bop Contest" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
December 9, 2025

Vibraphonist and composer Mark Sherman has long been recognized as one of the music's most articulate advocates for straight-ahead values, grounding his virtuosity in the clarity and craftsmanship that define the bop lineage. Bop Contest, his 2025 release, continues that tradition with poise and conviction. Surrounded by a top-tier rhythm section comprising pianist Donald Vega, the legendary bassist Ron Carter, the exuberant drummer Carl Allen, and guest trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, Sherman delivers a program that balances reverence for ...

Live Review

Ron Carter New Jazz Trio And Foursight Quartet At Birdland

by Paul Reynolds
October 31, 2025

Ron Carter New Jazz Trio and Foursight Quartet Birdland New York, NYOctober 16 and 23, 2025 Ron Carter turned 88 in May, 2025. That fact is hard to reconcile with the continuing vitality and frequency of his performances, including those with two small groups at Birdland Jazz Club this month--as part of his customary October residency at the midtown Manhattan venue. Carter's age was underlined, though, by an anecdote he told after ...

Album Review

McCoy Tyner Quartet: New York Reunion

Read "New York Reunion" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
October 25, 2025

McCoy Tyner's New York Reunion is a fine example of late-period recording, presenting the jazz masters in a quartet setting that draws deeply on tradition while brimming with contemporary energy. Originally released in 1991 on Chesky Records, the album features Tyner at the piano alongside three equally distinguished collaborators: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), Ron Carter (bass) and Al Foster (drums). The title itself hints at a reconvening of New York's post-bop elite, each artist bringing decades of innovation to the ...

Album Review

Mark Sherman: Bop Contest

Read "Bop Contest" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 23, 2025

Following four well-received albums on which he played piano, the versatile Mark Sherman has placed the keyboard in the capable hands of Donald Vega and returned to his main instrument, the vibraphone, for the eloquent and delightful Bop Contest, Sherman's twenty-second recording in a prestigious career that has spanned nearly half a century. Although Sherman has shared the studio with a who's who of renowned bassists, he had never released an album, until now, with the Hall ...

Live Review

Ron Carter's Foursight Quartet at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
September 23, 2025

Ron Carter's Foursight Quartet Miner Auditorium / SFJAZZ CenterSan Francisco, CA September 19, 2025 After a 50-minute opener with no introductions, Ron Carter took the microphone, smiled, and deadpanned, “Thank you and goodnight." A beat later: “I am boss of the microphone." He waved his cuffs toward the band to take a real bow. The joke set the tone. Leadership would not be loud. Time, taste, and the craft of saying exactly what needs to ...

Album Review

Charlie Rouse: Cinnamon Flower : The Expanded Version

Read "Cinnamon Flower : The Expanded Version" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 19, 2025

Cinnamon Flower: The Expanded Edition is a reissue of The Charlie Rouse Band's 1977 Brazilian-inspired album originally released by Douglas Records. Now, nearly 50 years later, Resonance Records presents a deluxe, definitive edition of the album featuring previously unreleased versions of the songs from the original release. Recorded during a prolific period in Rouse's post-Thelonious Monk career, this project reveals a rarely heard side of the tenor saxophonist: a rhythmic sensuality and melodic elegance inspired by Brazil's vibrant music scene. ...