Ron Carter: Love in a Universe of Possibility

Different people think of Ron Carter, an icon of acoustic bass who has performed on more than 2,500 albums, in different ways. Hip-hop heads know Carter as the jazz cat appearing on A Tribe Called Quest’s CD The Low End Theory in 1991. Jazz fans will tell you that Carter was a key member of Miles Davis’ legendary second quintet from 1964 until 1968 and that he’s the most recorded bassist ever. But all of Carter’s fans can agree that last week was an exciting one in the grandmaster bassist’s calendar: he made a rare appearance fronting a big band at Birdland Jazz Club in NYC and PBS released Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes, a documentary six years in the making.

In 2011, the “Ron Carter’s Great Big Band” CD on Sunnyside marked the first time he’d ever led a large ensemble on record. Listeners will discover a wide swath of styles, from early blues to swing, bebop, cool and soul jazz numbers. The repertory stretched all the way to Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” Tom Harrell’s “Sail Away” and Carter’s own “Opus 15.” Anchored by Carter on bass, with arrangements by Bob Freedman, the recording still sounds vibrant and contemporary.

A decade ago, for a feature I penned on Mr. Carter for the New York Daily News, Mr. Carter, a tall, stately man, said the challenge of a big band date is to “convince 16 guys, on the spur of the moment, that my note is supposed to affect what they do for the next note that they play.” As the title of Carter’s 2008 biography by Dan Ouellette declares, he’s been Finding the Right Notes for more than 60 years.

Carter, now 85, started playing cello at 10. He was grounded in the European classics and added bass at 18. He had an early interest in orchestral performance, but those doors were closed, primarily because of race, not lack of talent.

“Look at orchestras from the 1950s to today. The proportion of people of color hasn’t changed much,” he recalled. Their loss was jazz’s gain. Great jazz bassists preceded Carter—like Milt Hinton, Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown and Paul Chambers. But Carter set out to be different from them all. He gravitated to the bright snare drum sound of Kenny Clarke, as well as to the examples of J.J. Johnson on trombone and Cecil Payne on baritone sax.

J.J. Johnson’s economy of movement, whereby he played super fast and complex phrases while not sliding past the bell opening of the trombone, stunned Carter in 1958. “It seemed to me that the bass had that same propensity,” Carter says. “If you could find out what notes are located in a much smaller area, you’ll not only find more of them, you’ll also find better sound and better intonation.”

He played with Cecil Payne in pianist Randy Weston’s ensemble in the early 1960s. Carter was impressed by Payne’s individuality on an instrument in which there were other prominent players, such as Gerry Mulligan, Harry Carney and Pepper Adams. Carter said of Payne: “He found a way to take the same horn they were playing and make it sound like none of those guys.”

Ron Carter on “Your Sound”

Carter has an unmistakable sound, a woody and resonant ring, logical lines at any speed and signature solo phrases. The mix made him a first choice for record labels like Milestone, Blue Note, CTI, and others. But the 1998 NEA Jazz Master is more than a great player, composer and bandleader. He’s also been a grand master teacher for more than half a century, with tenures at City College, the Juilliard School, with many private students, and, during the pandemic, virtual lessons and Q&A’s. He shares his perspective with students to increase their musical options.

One of the hardest things about teaching jazz “. . . is that there’s no set language describing what you want somebody to do. It’s important for teachers to have the kind of language skill to verbally tell a guy, ‘I want you to try a different point of view than what you’re playing now.’” Carter doesn’t want students to mimic him. He wants them to develop what we in the music (and at the Jazz Leadership Project) call Your Sound:

I want them to develop their own sense of texture, tone, sound, and responsibility. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find their personal voice sooner or later.

Carter’s Bucket List a Decade Ago

Since leading a big band on record is off his bucket list, I asked him ten years ago if there was anything left that he would like to do? He said he wanted to play with Ahmad Jamal, the master pianist who since the 1950s found “a way to make the old material evolve to a new sound.” Carter’s also eyed the hip hop/pop group the Black Eyed Peas. He liked their feel for harmonic development and insisted, “I could sit down with those guys and say, ‘Hey, check out this tune and see if this harmonic concept fits your music.’”

Sadly, the group didn’t get the memo. And where are they today? While they are a pop music memory, Ron Carter’s fine art will stand the test of time for centuries to come. That’s why those talented and wise enough to play with the grandmaster, such as Donald Harrison and Donald Vega—see below—will always cherish the opportunity.

The Surprise of Our Lives as a Jazz Events Producers

The most exciting live jazz performance that Jewel and I ever produced involved Mr. Carter. In 2013, we helped inaugurate music programming at Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem, the sister venue to Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster restaurant upstairs. Having had the honor of knowing Benny Golson, we asked him if his quartet would perform as part of our Jazz Masters series. Benny obliged. Three weeks before the date, he called us with concern in his voice:

“Greg and Jewel: I have some unfortunate news. My bassist, Buster Williams, can’t make the date. To replace him, I called someone you may have heard of.”

“Who, Benny?”

 “Ron Carter.”

To say the least, we were beyond thrilled! Having two living legends together—both NEA Jazz Masters—was beyond what we even imagined. Both nights were standing-room-only smash hits.

The Honor of Playing with Ron Carter

Donald Vega and Ron Carter

One of the long-time pianists who has performed in Carter’s ensembles for many years is Donald Vega, who had this to say:

Playing with Master Ron Carter is an amazing experience. It’s an adventure every time we play. I never know where the music will take us, where it’s going to go or what’s going to happen when we are on the bandstand. It’s different every time. That’s the amazing thing about performing with Mr. Carter: It’s an incredibly creative, unique experience every time we play. You have to listen and be ever present. I've been so fortunate to play with him in a variety of settings, occasions, and configurations (Trio, Quartet, Nonet & Big Band) I am so honored he trusts my musical judgement. I get to learn from him every time we play. It’s a dream come true indeed.

—Donald Vega

Yesterday, when I asked 2022 NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison about his years of performing with Ron Carter, he said that he learned that the grand master is capable of multiple functions simultaneously.   

Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, and Billy Cobham at the Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC

He can be the catalyst, the supporter, he can lead the idea stream, he can shore up the groove, he can create the groove, but mostly he is a presence that helps shape all around him into doing their best. I learned I had to work on his lessons to be ready for the next encounter with his genius. Like Bird [Charlie Parker] he is a lifetime study you will never finish. I feel very fortunate to have some of his revelations under my belt.

Through playing with Ron, I realized he has an understanding of all the permutations of certain musical principles, and learned that exploring new ideas instantaneously as they come is fundamental to finding your voice and to growing the community. He put me on a path to see a huge universe of possibilities. Playing with Ron Carter is like someone turning the light on in a dark room. You can function in the dark, but in the light things are much clearer. I have been richly rewarded studying all aspects of his vast universe, and knowing that his prime directive is love.

—Donald Harrison

A prime directive of love in a universe of possibilities, indeed. Grandmaster Ron Carter: an artist for the ages.