Reverse Thread

Regina Carter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: E1 Music
• ASIN: B003BZXHYC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,255 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

One of the most beloved artists of her generation, preeminent violinist Regina Carter has achieved another landmark in a creative history that has yielded both artistic and commercial triumphs. Her newest release, Reverse Thread, starts with exquisite traditional African music and infuses it with contemporary jazz and Afropop energy. The results are uplifting, stirring, and joyful. Regina's Reverse Thread Band adds virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko on kora - the West African harp traditionally played by village storytellers--to her longstanding rhythm section. Sissoko's beautiful instrumental voicings were brought into the mix to help recreate the spirit of passing stories from generation to generation. The collaboration--unlike anything previously heard--is a haunting and beautiful compliment to Regina's sumptuously seductive violin. Through her best-selling, Grammy-nominated albums, incessant touring and various guest appearances and collaborations, Regina has developed into a distinctly diverse musical personality. She has repeatedly toured throughout the world, and was the first jazz artist and African American to play Niccolo Paganini's famed Guarneri "Cannon" violin. She has been featured with several symphony orchestras and performed with pop artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Billy Joel, and Mary J. Blige. With Reverse Thread, Regina takes another giant step forward. In an era of cookie cutter jazz albums that do little to excite the imagination of music lovers, it's a brilliant, colorful, and lively exploration whose seductive charms are infallible.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carter weaves world music and jazz fusion gem, May 22, 2010

By 

Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reverse Thread (Audio CD)

Overview:

This is hands down my favorite Regina Carter CD ... ever. On this CD Regina weaves a tapestry of world music, inspired primarily by African music, but also by tango. Two of my favorite non-traditional jazz instruments, the accordion and kora are featured on this album. I wouldn't have thought they could work together, but amazingly they do. The violin actually forms the perfect bridge between the two. If you are not familiar with the kora it is a 21 string African harp. The kora player can play a bass line, melody, and solo all at the same time on it. Regina has assembled an all star case of musicians on this album they are:

Regina Carter - violin

Yacouba Sissoko - kora (tracks 2,3,6,7,11)

Will Holshouser - accordion (1,7,8,10,11,12)

Gary Vesace - accordion (2,3,4,5,9)

Adam Rogers - guitar (1,5,8,10)

Mamadou Ba - electric bass (2,3,9)

Chris Lightcap - accoustic bass (1,4,5,7,8,10,11,12)

Alvester Garnett - drums, percussion

The CD also features songs by legendary African musicians, including songs by Ayub Ogada, Bassekou Kouyate, and Boubacar Traore.

Song Highlights:

Kothbiro - Many people will recognize this Ayub Ogada song as the theme song for the recent movie "The Constant Gardner". While tragically sad, the tune is so pretty and one of my favorite songs by African World artists. This rendition isn't quite as powerful as the version by Kenny Werner, Chris Potter, and Dave Douglas, on Werner's Lawn Chair Society, but it comes very close. Sissoko opens the tune with a kora solo, and plays brilliantly throughout. Carter plays the sad melody to perfection.

N'Teri - This track written by Habib Koite is beautiful sad song. It is similar in style to Kothbiro. It opens with some plucking by Carter and Kora playing by Sissoko. After a real nice kora solo, Carter and accordion player Versace trade of short bars of soloing in classic call and answer fashion.

Artistya - This track opens with a rapid fire jumping bass line by Chris Lightcap and wild percussion by Garnett. Carter comes in over the top with monster violin solo that is absolutely ferocious. It is my favorite solo on the CD.

Day Dreaming on the Nile - The title of this track is perfect. Every time I listen to it, my mind starts to wander off in a day dream. Normally I'm not a huge fan of the electric bass, but it really works well here. The walking/ wandering bass line is the center point of the song. There is a lot of nice accordion work and texture provided by Gary Versace.

Kanou - Fans of Bill Frisell are probably very familiar with the composer of this song, Boubacar Traore. He was the inspiration of Frisell's "The Intercontinental" CD. Boubacar is a great artist and this is a great song choice by Carter. This song also features Sissoko's best Kora solo of the CD.

Un Aguinaldo Pa Regina - A great modern tango song written by Papo Vasquez. Great interplay between guitarist Adam Rogers, Accoridanist Gary Versace, and Regina Carter.

If you are a fan of Roswell Rudd's Malicool, Bela Fleck's "Throw Down your Heart", Frisell's Intercontintels, you better run down to the store and pick this up. As far as modern African music fused with jazz goes, this is as good as it gets.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly individual and musical album, November 29, 2010

By 

B. Smith (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reverse Thread (Audio CD)

If you're like me, the short audio excerpts that often accompany an Amazon musical offering (not available here) seldom give you a good idea of what the product is really like, so reviews by owners of a particular disc can be the most valuable critique you'll get.

Regina Carter is an extremely skillful violinist. On 'Reverse Thread' she's gathered a very unusual group of instrumentalists, who give the overall sound a very original character. Although they may be virtuosos in their own right, they mostly perform as accompanist's here.

The sound is overall light and pleasant, but never in a trite way: this group of recordings certainly bear continual replaying, revealing a complexity perhaps not apparent on the first listening. As an astute reviewer has previously written here, think mainly 'African', with 'Tango' on at least one track.

It's so refreshing to finally have a few musicians coming out of the 'jazz' tradition (Regina and Bill Frissell) who are willing to stretch the envelope instead of trying to top the masters of yesterday (think Wynton Marsalis).

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime, May 22, 2010

By 

Janine Jaquet (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reverse Thread (Audio CD)

For those who seek a blend of joyfulness and beauty--this album is a must!

The performances are both buoyant and sublime, and I am moved to provide a few words here as this album is such a rare treasure.

As it regards album specifics, I refer you to the earlier review by Scott Williams "SneakyNeighborsDog," which contains an impressively detailed overview.

Enjoy!!!!