Double Bass Ron Carter?

[bongomania]

I'm a big fan of his work on "Where?" and "Third Plane". I also like his recent "When Skies Are Grey". In the earlier works I feel he was breaking new ground, one of the bassists at the time taking the instrument a little bit farther than it had gone before. and it shows even when listening today, you can hear the "edge" and intensity (even in quiet numbers) as he tried new tonal/rhythmic/stylistic forms. In all of those tunes it kept the whole mix feeling modern and fresh.

I lost interest in his solo recordings through the '80s and '90s because I felt he went down too much of a sugar-coated "pop" jazz phase. Between his compositions, and the production, I just couldn't "like" the albums no matter how good his playing was. Even then though he was trying new styles of bass playing, so there was still exploration and advancement of the instrument.

Finally in "When Skies Are Grey" I feel he brought it all together. His sound is strong and clear and mature, his playing is tasteful yet strongly stated, the music is "sweet" without being "saccharine", and his lines hold together the tunes without being obvious about it.

I'm no scholar of his work, so I may have missed some important successes or failures in there. But I have always admired his dedication to expanding the envelope, even when I didn't like the music.

 

[Mark Carlsen]

I'm a big fan of his work on "Where?" and "Third Plane". I also like his recent "When Skies Are Grey". In the earlier works I feel he was breaking new ground, one of the bassists at the time taking the instrument a little bit farther than it had gone before. and it shows even when listening today, you can hear the "edge" and intensity (even in quiet numbers) as he tried new tonal/rhythmic/stylistic forms. In all of those tunes it kept the whole mix feeling modern and fresh.

I lost interest in his solo recordings through the '80s and '90s because I felt he went down too much of a sugar-coated "pop" jazz phase. Between his compositions, and the production, I just couldn't "like" the albums no matter how good his playing was. Even then though he was trying new styles of bass playing, so there was still exploration and advancement of the instrument.

Finally in "When Skies Are Grey" I feel he brought it all together. His sound is strong and clear and mature, his playing is tasteful yet strongly stated, the music is "sweet" without being "saccharine", and his lines hold together the tunes without being obvious about it.

I'm no scholar of his work, so I may have missed some important successes or failures in there. But I have always admired his dedication to expanding the envelope, even when I didn't like the music.

I'll second "When Skies are Grey" as an excellent example of Ron's current playing and he does the latin thing great....His bass sound is even a lot like an old Ampeg baby bass and he has the style down.
The group and arrangements are very nice, I really like "Besame Mucho".
I learned a ton by studying his bass line construction and Rhythmic approach to walking bass, he is very unique... his note choices always knock me out. How about his composition "Little Waltz" ? Pretty cool tune, and there are some other older recordings when he had the gut sound in the early 60's that are great. Two that come to mind are Milt Jackson's "Invitation" on Riverside I believe, and a big favorite of mine Bobby Timmons Live at the Village Vanguard 1961 also on Riverside.

 

[cloren]

he's a great guy- I saw him play a show in new york at the Blue Note a couple years ago with Mike Stern and some other fellas that had played with Miles Davis (the show was called- "generations of Miles" or something like that). Amazing show- he has a great voice on the upright and just a real cool presence on stage

I ran into him while I was walking back to my hotel at 1 in the morning and asked him if he had any advice for an aspiring bass player- now I know this question is hackneyed, but even at 1am after playing a long set of music, the guy gave me sound advice that I still adhere to every time I pick up the instrument

 

[MT Spaces]

.... but even at 1am after playing a long set of music, the guy gave me sound advice that I still adhere to every time I pick up the instrument

C'mon Man .... Don't Bogart that sound advice .... Pass it on to us ! We are all anxious here. And please don't say "Practice 12 hours a day, 365 days a year" .

 

[milomo]

he's a great guy- I saw him play a show in new york at the Blue Note a couple years ago with Mike Stern and some other fellas that had played with Miles Davis (the show was called- "generations of Miles" or something like that).

Those other fellas are Jimmy Cobb and George Coleman!

 

[Marcus Johnson]

I have to agree with Cloren... the coupla times I talked to him, he was the perfect gentleman, and not arrogant in the least.

 

[mapleleaf4evr]

Not a lot of jazz action in Orillia dblbss. I try and play the jazz festival, the odd wedding and 1 or 2 private functions a year.

 

[Don Higdon]

I have to agree with Cloren... the coupla times I talked to him, he was the perfect gentleman, and not arrogant in the least.

It's odd. Sometimes, in interviews, he can sound imperious. On the other hand, sometime in the mid-60's, I went to see him and Tony Williams backing a friend of mine, and he asked if I wanted to sit in with his bass.

 

[bassteban]

Perhaps the man is a bit moody. I've heard that musicians sometimes are. OTOH, maybe those w/a bad impression caught him at a very bad time.

 

[artfahie]

Ron Carter, Ray Brown, Bob Cranshaw (used to work with Billy Taylor), Buster Williams... just a few that knew how to play both the notes and the space between them. (Louis did it with trumpet as well... never a "lot" of notes... just a "lot" of perfect.

 

[Craig Akin]

I study with Ron in New York, go to his place bi-weekly. The guy is such an amazing teacher. He is totally professional with the highest standards you'll find in anyone, and he's very charming too. His communication skills are topshelf, he's not eccentric at all, just completely straightforward. He is very serious about bass sound, setup, time, groove, posture, hand position, etc.. I've had countless teachers on many instruments since childhood and Ron is by far my favorite. He's the best at reading a student, diagnosing issues and presenting solutions. And he's and expert at sensing the students potential and attitude. A student must have a lot of that together in order to study with him. I say all this cause everyone knows his resume and recorded output but may not know him as an individual.