1 3 Ron Carter

Bob James' most enduring recording is perhaps one of his least adventurous. Full of simple laid-back melodies, light, airy grooves, and quiet backdrops, it's a smooth jazz "masterpiece." It's an enduring part of his catalog and was the launch pad for many movie and television projects, and for a string of hit recordings for the Warner label in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. In effect, it insured his financial security for the future. The set is notable for its heavyweight cast including David Sanborn, Ron Carter, Idris Muhammad, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Hubert Laws, and Earl Klugh. It also netted the monster hit "Angela (Theme from Taxi)," which continued to get airplay on smooth jazz stations into the 21st century. James is a highly developed pianist, arranger, and composer, and while the music here is as safe as milk, it nonetheless spoke to millions.

Ron Carter plays here with pianist Kenny Barron, drummer Harvey Mason, and guitarist Hugh McCracken, in a setting that is augmented by an off-kilter string section, and which has that sort of bright sound that characterized some of Carter's recordings from the time. Many of the tracks have a relaxed funky groove, and Carter's bass is very up front in the recording, with lots of tight plunked hard solo notes. Tracks include "12+12", "Woolaphant", and "One Bass Rag". (Source: Dusty Groove America, Inc.)

It's hard to imagine that Bill Frisell at 55 is the youngster of this group. But he is by a long shot. Not that it matters in terms of musicality; rather, it's that younger modernism and its involvement with different musical genres that make Frisell such a welcome foil for the likes of two heavyweights like Paul Motian and Ron Carter. To say that this album is all over the place is an understatement. Just look at the tunes: from the slippery little grooving blues of "Eighty-One" by Carter and his former boss Miles Davis to the ditty "You Are My Sunshine" by Jimmie Davis, Thelonious Monk's "Raise Four" and "Misterioso," and traditional tunes like "Pretty Polly" and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." These are just a few, but what they prove is everything. These three musicians sound so comfortable, it's like they've been playing together for years.

Rosa Passos made her recording debut as a leader in 1979, but this 2003 Chesky CD may be her first to be released outside of South America. The Brazilian singer is paired with veteran bassist Ron Carter, who provides a solid melodic foundation for her throughout the date; the delightful Brazilian guitarist Lula Galvao; percussionist Paulo Braga, and, on a few tracks, veteran session musician Billy Drewes on tenor sax or clarinet. While the focus is clearly on the soft, effective vocals of Passos, who is extremely effective in her interpretations of bossa nova classics such as "Insensatez," "Desafinado," "Caminhos Cruzados," and "O Grande Amor," Carter's solos are also subtly swinging.

Ron Carter & Danny Simmons - The Brown Beatnik Tomes (2019) {Blue Note 0060257752454}
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Jazz / Spoken Word / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Beat Poetry

Ron Carter has always been way more than a straight jazz bassist – especially in the past few decades, where his collaborative spirit has taken him into territory we never would have imagined early on in his career! Here, he works alongside writer Danny Simmons – whose words inform most of these tracks, read by Simmons himself. Carter plays these amazing basslines that are vivid and illustrative while Danny reeds – and a few tracks change up the approach slightly, one with a reading from Liza Jessie Peterson, two more with trio performances that feature Donald Vega on piano and Russel Malone on guitar.

Ron Carter - Stardust (2001) {Blue Note 7243 5 37813 2 3}
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Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Third Stream / Bass

Stardust is another satisfying record from Ron Carter, this one in part a tribute to the late Oscar Pettiford. Leading a quintet with Benny Golson on tenor, Joe Locke on vibes, Sir Roland Hanna on piano, and Lenny White on drums, Carter picks three choice tunes by Pettiford – the swing-to-tango "Tamalpais," the minor-key bop classic "Bohemia After Dark," and the masterfully simple "Blues in the Closet."