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Double Bass Ron Carter

#61
Recently I transcribed "Footprints" off Miles Smiles; there were 18 choruses I think, and Ron plays 18 turnarounds that are just mint.
It was great to notate the different feels; I think there were only 4 different basic feels, but each one is superb.
 
#62
well, I can say that ron carter is one of my favorite if not my favorite jazz bassist(s)

if there would be such a person as the greatest jazz bassist, he has all the qualifications, I think.

I would be really hard pressed to find someone else who has more balance between technicality, expressiveness, note choices, and sound other than sir ron carter.

i have a list of my favorite jazz players. there are only a few of them there. Of course, ron would always be a mainstay...


Love his GRRROWLING sound, though....
I even prefer it sometines (and overall) over ray brown's big boom sound.

enough said....
 
#63
caught mr carter with jim hall @ the blue note on good friday.
ron's playing (& attire)...impeccable as always from the great
bassist & gentleman.

about ron's sound...i told him after the 1st show, that i had tried the labella black nylons & changed them after a couple months...and i use & dig labella 7720 steel strings...but the nylons??? not for me.

imo, the black nylons are fundamentally too strong & tend to speak louder than the bass & do not bring out the wood or the sound of the bass. they're too loud &
obnoxious sounding. i wish ron would come to similar conclusion, but after 10+ years of using them, chances are slim.
 
#65
Ron Carter, a giant of jazz bass playing. One of my heros. Sometime in the "70's though, he seemed to decide that playing with a less human touch for would lead to greater fame and fortune. Really stiff, rigid. To many record dates, maybe. Don't know if this coincided with an organized mind process or not, but he often sounds more like a machine than a human on recordings. His style became much more robotic, rather than organic. OTH, this has made his sound known the world 'round. My personal opinion.
 
#67
Alan Vorse said:
I hear you. I wasn't sure what to make of that. I was kind of disappointed.
Click to expand...



Yeah. I was cringing during most of that read.
How he bags on Mingus, LaFaro, and Holland like that left such a bad taste in my mouth, I had to immediatley put on "Speak No Evil" and "E.S.P." to put my mind at ease.

I love Ron man, really. He's certainly allowed to speak his mind honestly and directly. I respect that. But to say that "Mingus seemed determined to make his band sound awful" and that the Bill Evans trio "hasn't listened to enough of the Bill Evans trio" is ****!ng ridiculous.
 
#68
musicman5string said:
But to say that "Mingus seemed determined to make his band sound awful" and that the Bill Evans trio "hasn't listened to enough of the Bill Evans trio" is ****!ng ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I heard awhile back that there's a little bit of truth to the mingus thing. Right before the set Duke told him they would only be playing his songs, and apparently Mingus got really pissed, and thats why he does all that weird sh*t.
 
#70
There must be some kind of laxative euphoria to experience when you pull the wool over the eyes of the music consuming public. Hey, at least Mingus didn't mask his hostility when confronted with the challenge of his music being packaged in a candy box. OTOH, VSOP cashed in on the prospect! I"m not sure what I would do if I was faced with that kind of challenge. Still, I'd consider Carter as one of the giants. To many damn recordings though.
 
#71
PC, your profile doesn't show your date of birth. I'm 46 now. I was a teen-aged jazz fiend when VSOP came out. VSOP was one of the records which you HAD to have in 1977. The news swept around the band-stands: "Herbie's playing acoustic again!"

I learned so much from that three-bands-in-one record, and from its successor featuring The Great Quintet. Every time I lead to a G chord with an open D and a high F# or hang on a submediant pedal-tone I'm tipping my hat to Ron Carter's playing on VSOP.

Those with too much time on their hands can peruse my piece on the topic here.

Just to say, I don't think anybody in that band was pulling wool.
 
#73
I stayed out of this one because I hadn't read the Blindfold test in question. I just got my Downbeat in the mail today. The thing that struck me the most in reading Ron Carter's comments is that he seems to look for problems with everything. Be definitely seems to focus more on the things that bother him than the things he likes. I wonder if listening to music is always like that for him.
 
#74
I think the early recordings of amplified bass have to be heard as research. They were also having to deal with increased volumes from the rock and fusion influence and were likely backed into a corner over it.

I have not read the blindfold, but Ron has not really been spared by peers, critics and listeners so I don't think is fair to ask him to return the favor.

As far as Ron's intonation, I'd say at least he isn't hiding. I think there are certainly bassists with better and worse intonation than others but just as much or even more so there are bassist who mask what they do, or just hide in the murky depths, and those who play with clarity, use the whole instrument and go for what they hear.

Still, those Nylon strings are really lame. While you CAN bow them, as much as you can bow anything like a cymbal or music stand, I would guess they don't invite arco practice and we all know where that can lead...

At the end of the day, he is Ron Carter and he acomplished a lot. We can really learn a lot from him, both positive and negative.
He did his work in public, so it is fair for the public to be critical but criticism of a muscian with a career like that should be about learning and getting clearer about your personal decisions, not trying to pretend you are better than him.
 
#75
I agree Damon; Ron at his best is a level I could only hope to be at one day. For me that level was back in the 1960's though.
Hey, the man has been around; he's entitled to his words. I just wish he hadn't bagged on Mingus, LaFaro, and Holland. Certainly Dave was very complimentary of Ron when we spoke.
 
#76
musicman5string said:
I agree Damon; Ron at his best is a level I could only hope to be at one day. For me that level was back in the 1960's though.
Hey, the man has been around; he's entitled to his words. I just wish he hadn't bagged on Mingus, LaFaro, and Holland. Certainly Dave was very complimentary of Ron when we spoke.
Click to expand...

IMO, Dave has less reasons to be insecure + peers, listeners and critics have treated him really well.

I perfer Mr. Holland's playing but I wouldn't go as far to say he is "better", exactly.
Even when he was using that '70s amp sound he was just amazing with Rivers and Braxton.
Also, the ECM hook-up did not hurt when it comes to care in terms of sound and presentation.
Even though he took a lot of musical chances I feel like Holland took less chances with his sound, and it seems like he always kept his chops more than solid.
They are different personalities and have taken different roads.
For me personally Holland sets a certain standard for what I want from the instrument, Mr. Carter has less interest for me in relation to my own work, but that does not mean I don't respect him.
 
#77
ron's playing @ the blue note w/ jim hall was great...he was busier than i'm accustomed for ron...but it was the 2nd nite of their 6 nite gig. i think he "upped his game" to compliment what jim hall was layin down. both his comping & solos were more notes, (all good) than the old school "rock" ron carter, with miles & the cti cats.

same juzek with the GK combo on a speaker stand about ear high, a couple feet behind ron. i feel that his black nylons impart their influence...will...sound...too much & somehow the sound of the juzek is not fully realized. i don't hear that deep, full bodied, sustain & growl that i used to hear from ron back in the 60's & 70's.

ron's db review?? he talked the same way back in the 70's bout the music & bassists...it may or may not be cool...but it is ron...you know what you're getting.
 

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