Conversin With the Elders

James Carter | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (June 4, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002JA0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Track Listings

1. Freereggaehibop

2. Parker's Mood

3. Lester Leaps In

4. Naima

5. Blue Creek

6. Centerpiece

7. Composition #40q

8. Moten Swing

9. Atitled Valse

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a joyous celebration of the jazz tradition, August 19, 2001

By 

m_noland "m_noland" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversin' With the Elders (Audio CD)

If you're a "smooth jazz" fan or one of those Wynton Marsalis-style aesthetic ayatollahs who likes to tell everyone what is or what is not jazz, you probably won't like this CD. If, on the other hand, you have an open heart, an open mind, and open ears, this disk's a treasure.
James Carter's command over his horns is truly stunning. On this disk he deploys it in a variety of quintet encounters with other horn players (Lester Bowie (on good behavior), Harry "Sweets" Edison, Buddy Tate and others) from various jazz traditions, and its not often that one encounters such a varied disk of straight-ahead jazz. Carter and his remarkably consistent and able rhythm section (Craig Taborn, Jaribu Shahid, and Tani Tabbal) handle everything from Bennie Moten's "Moten Swing" to reggae to waltz to Anthony Braxton's "Composition #40Q" with aplomb.
OK, so Carter and Co. engage in an occasional shrill squeal (oh!), atonal blat (oh, no!), and even the dreaded widdly-woo and a honk or two (eek!!!)....

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't get too comfortable., October 5, 2003

By 

David Bonesteel (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conversin' With the Elders (Audio CD)

James Carter clearly has a great command of his instrument. Whether being playful, romantic, or engaging in rude blasts of atonality, he is always fascinating to listen to. Here he teams up with a varied array of influential jazz masters to produce a disk of consistent quality. The only flaw is that Carter fails to maintain a cohesive atmosphere among his disparate elements, resulting in a hodgepodge of admittedly excellent tunes. This remains a challenging and rewarding listen that refuses to let you get too comfortable. A standout is the drunken, careening "Freereggaehibop."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Young meets old, everybody wins, June 10, 2007

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conversin' With the Elders (Audio CD)

James Carter pays homage to some of his influences by pulling in Lester Bowie, Larry Smith, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Hamiet Bluiett, and Buddy Tate. The opener takes a reggae beat to Carter's & Bowie's growls, sputters, and bluesy playing. It's gleefully dissonant and starts things off with a friendly vibe. "Parker's Mood" pairs Carter & Smith in a bluesy cutting competition. "Lester Leaps In" pairs Carter & Edison to better effect. Craig Taborn gets space to play a bebop solo. After the piano solo, Carter comes back in with "Here Comes The Bride" and uses it as a starting point for his solo. That's the first of a few places where Carter uses an instantly recognizable popular or jazz chestnut in his solo. Tani Tabbal plays a short drum solo and then the song wraps up. The rhythm section sees their job on this CD as mostly to stay out of the way, but they provide very good backing support. Bluiett joins Carter for a mournful "Naima", which is a little light on improvising. "Blue Creek" with Tate is a bass clarinet/clarinet blues. "Centerpiece" is another good Carter/Edison blues. Bluiett and Carter navigate Anthony Braxton's "Composition #40q" on baritone sax. The song is a catchy romp, which they both send over a cliff to good effect. "Johnny Comes Marching Home" even makes an appearance in the middle of the solos. Tate and Carter do "Moten Swing" which is a fun swing song. Finally, Bowie and Carter bring it home with "Atitled Valse", which is a drunken-sounding waltz. It goes into a fast 4/4 section with solos. The waltz section returns with more quotes.

Though Carter has five different guests falling into two categories, traditional and free, the bluesy and/or swinging nature of all the songs keeps the album together. The songwriting is good, Carter picks five songs that are argueably standards ("Parker's Mood", "Lester Leaps In", "Naima", "Centerpiece", "Moten Swing"), which functions to add a familiar melody to the solos. My favorite songs are the ones with Edison or the free jazzers, and I think most people would like this CD.