Customer Reviews

In Carterian Fashion

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're a big fan of Kenny G., you might just as well stop reading this review right now. This disc is real jazz, thoughtfully created and carried out with inspired improvisation. "In Carterian Fashion" is an album of 10 awesome tracks and no gimicks. Even more so than, Joshua Redmond ( I'm a big fan of his too), Carter is the torchbearer carrying true jazz into the new millenium. A "young lion", as it were. To me, the true test for jazz players is being able to shine in a small combo setting and it seems that today, there's way too much production and electrified funk. Put a handful of players into a room and see what happens. In this case it's a resounding success. Jazz still lives and all is right within the musical world. This is Carter's fifth album as a leader, and he's not quite thirty. He's had a full apprenticeship with such luminaries as Lester Bowie and Julius Hemphill of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, one of the most far reaching aggregates in jazz history. Though he's often compared with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he reminds me more of Eric Dolphy. Though he principally plays tenor sax, he plays all of them and even a delightful growling bass clarinet on "Odyssey". He makes his instruments howl and moan during some solos, yet keeps it all plain and somber on others. He's joined here by a stellar ensemble Craig Taborn, Henry Butler, and Cyrus Chestnut on Hammond and a perfectly suited rhythm section comprised of bassist Jaribu Shahid and, alternately, Tani Tabbal or Leonard King behind the traps. His brother, P-Funker Kevin Carter makes a welcome appearance on guitar (the only electrified material, still rather unembellished), and Dwight Adams shines on trumpet. The rest of the crew dazzles too, and this, to my ears is how small combo jazz is meant to sound. The tunes a re all captivating and the production minimal. Why aren't more players using this time tested formula? Nothing here could possibly be improved upon. It's all just superb music making. If you like classic jazz with cascading solos over solid, straight ahead ensemble playing, this is a release sure to please.

I never thought I'd hear an organ-combo "groove" album from any of the new crop of great players, but Carter has pulled it off. Judging by the range of comments this disc has elicited here, there's still a raging debate whether modern jazz should be "head" music or "body" music. Guys like Carter prove that when it's at its best, it's both. Let those who need sophisticated chord structures go back and pore over their Kenton charts, while the rest of us will be here rocking out to a great disc.

Another fine album from Carter, this time paying homage to the classic organ combos of the 1960s, though it is unmistakeably a 1990s album not a retro exercise. The compositions run from a couple traditional tunes ("Down to the River" & "Trouble in the World") to such overtly modern fare as Carter's own "Skull Grabbin'" & "In Carterian Fashion" or the guitarist Spencer Barefield's "Escape from Bizarro World". As suits the occasion, Carter mostly sticks to tenor, though there's one bass clarinet track, & one track where has overdubs himself on soprano, tenor & baritone. The organ duties are split between Craig Taborn, his usual keyboardist, & Henry Butler & Cyrus Chestnut (the latter only gets two tracks).

"Skull Grabbin'" is a (perhaps too) clever uptempo exercise that sounds like it's indebted to "Tune Up" &, especially, Coltrane's rewriting of it on _Giant Steps_--there's a "Countdown"-style tenor-drums battle in the centre of it, & Carter shows no lack of ideas or facility but perhaps could have scaled them back a touch. On the other hand "Lianmo" is quite beautiful, right from its evocative start with a throbbing choir of saxophones & trumpet. There's a couple nicely-turned tributes to Don Byas ("Don's Idea") & Lockjaw Davis ("Lockjaw's Lament"), & an unabashed modern funk number in the title track. Carter's playing has his usual exaggerated swagger, which is mostly winning (though his fondness for distortion & freak high notes sometimes gets the better of him).

Basically a winner: a fun, intelligent album that doesn't have the gravitas of an album like _The Real Quietstorm_ (shamefully already deleted by Atlantic) but nonetheless is an enjoyable listen.

James Carter, once again, proves himself to be the most entertaining of jazz's new hotshots. This jazz fan--and I'm sure there are plenty more like myself out there--is tired of the lack of fun in today's music. Everyone seems to want to make jazz records that make you think, whether it be about technique, song form, or instrumentation. Well, I'm tired of that egg-head stuff. Thank you James, for making a lively recording that makes you want to get up and move. Surrounding himself with great musicians and spicing things up with just enough of that "out" style, this CD is a rocking blast of fresh air. I'm a big fan as a result. I hope the rest of the jazz illiterati listens and takes some notes on how the music can be entertaining and not simply an intellectual pursuit.

Many artists in jazz seem content to simply stick to one style of jazz; free jazz artists stick to their abrasive music, swingers ignore anything post-bebop and play the same boring music that was actually good during the 1940s and those of the Wynton Marsalis school will accept anything that is not avant-garde and/or fusion, but will accept classical music.

James Carter is an oddity then in the world of popular jazz. This album, with its soul-jazz organ riffs maybe expected to sound just like a 60s soul-jazz record; very much hard bop with an organ and nothing too avant-garde. In Carterian Fashion shows Carter going all over the place; with drum beats that sound like a 40s swing band, screeching solos that would have made Albert Ayler and John Coltrane proud and great straight-ahead playing. Carter is pretty much unique in the Young Lions era of jazz in that he is able to use all of jazz history to his own ends to create some of the best Jazz of the 1990s. This album is recommended to fans of jazz who aren't close-minded to the avant-garde and enjoy a bit of 40s swing.

James Carter's 1998 CD has three different rhythm sections, and has five original songs and five covers (though no standards). It starts off with melodic "Lianmo", a somewhat lackluster "Down To The River", and a smoking "Don's Idea" with Dwight Adams on trumpet trading phrases with J. C. "Skull Grabbin" is a catchy original with Craig Taborn standing out on organ. Carter finishes "Odyssey" with some tasteful baritone sax chirps. James Carter sometimes has a weakness for overplaying and overusing free jazzesque squeals, chirps, honks, and overtones. He keeps it more tasteful on this CD. "Trouble In The World" is another bluesy traditional song. It's somewhat better than "Down To The River". "Escape From Bizarro World" is a catchy song written by Spencer Barefield, a Detroit jazz guitarist. The final three originals range from Saturday Night Live funk to bluesy, to Saturday Night Live funk. It's a pretty good CD, but one problem is some bluesy and funky songs sound too much like the Saturday Night Live houseband. It's not that those songs are unentertaining, they're just not as original as they could be. In the world of James Carter, I put this CD below "Conversing With The Elders" and "Gold Sounds", but it's a 4-star disc like the other two.

except for one track, james carter puts down his signature baritone not for the other horns he plays, but to be accompanied by the organ, played on most of the tracks by craig taborn.

the organ has more possibilities than any horn, while being closer in sound to the saxophone than any other instrument. in any race the organ wins. or should win. carter's high octane is a blend of blues funk and free jazz improvisation.

this cd also contains a composition by don byas. if byas becomes part of the jazz conversation again, give credit to james carter.

James Carter is one of the best modern saxaphonists around. His style doesn't seem to suffer from the staleness of many other modern horn players. This album is not as much of a honker, no holds barred album as his previous works, but at times it just plain burns. Great guitar and organ work too. It'll probably be a classic so get it now and get in on the ground floor.

I saw James Carter at the Village Vanguard in New York earlier this year. Phenomenal player.

I think this CD shows that this man is already a giant in his field. One of the best jazz recordings to come along in a long time, played by one of the most exciting musicians around. If you're a sax fan then this is desert-island material. It will be exciting to see where he'll go from here. Catch him live if you can.

This young reed-player! He's somethin' else. So much tradition, so much history and yet so innovative in a very personal way. This is a powerfull album, and even though I've allways felt kind of strange with studio-recordings and dubbing and all, this is one hell of a recording. If only Mingus had been around and heard this. Thank you.