James Carter Organ Trio - At the Crossroads

[GA Russell]

This looks interesting.

Saxophone Virtuoso James Carter

& His Organ Trio Celebrate 10th Anniversary

With "At the Crossroads,"

Due for Oct. 4 Release by Emarcy

New CD Spotlights Carter with

Organist Gerard Gibbs & Drummer Leonard King Jr.

Plus Special Guests

On Blues, Ballads, Swingers, & More

Organ Trio Dates Planned for New York, Oakland, Los Angeles

September 6, 2011

One of jazz's most acclaimed, distinctive improvisers, virtuoso saxophonist James Carter returns to a favored format and simpatico colleagues with At the Crossroads, his 15th CD as a leader and the third showcasing his long-standing Organ Trio. Emarcy Records will release the CD on October 4.

Enjoying consistently inspired interplay with fellow Motor City stars organist Gerard Gibbs and drummer Leonard King Jr., Carter gets down in his inimitable way on a 12-track program that boasts rollicking swingers, moving ballads, a gospel standard, and, of course, plenty of blues-drenched items.

A powerhouse companion disc to Live at Baker's, the 2001 recording that marked the trio's formation, and 2005's Out of Nowhere, their formal CD debut, the album places Carter right where he wants to be -- grooving in the pocket with Gibbs and King.

"There's a reason the trio is my longest running and most cohesive band," says Carter, 42, who notes that all members contribute tunes and arrangements to the trio's book. "Gerard and Leonard are consummate musicians who have shaped the music at every level. We all have our own projects, so we go out into the world and deal with whatever musical merriment we have, and when we come back as this particular group, we bring our musical experiences back with us."

James Carter Organ Trio, with drummer Leonard King Jr. & organist Gerard Gibbs.

The Detroit-centric cast of special guests includes the actress and vocalist Miche (pronounced Mickey) Braden, guitarists Brandon Ross and Bruce Edwards, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, trombonist Vincent Chandler, and percussionist Eli Fountain.

Carter packs At the Crossroads with a wide variety of gems. The opener "Oh Gee," a romping blues-with-a-bridge, displays Carter's tradition-rich tenor saxophone wares and reveals what potent partners Gibbs and King are. On the slower side are Ellington's timeless "Come Sunday," with a stirring vocal by King, and the ballad "My Whole Life Through," written by organ pioneer Sarah McLawler in the early 1950s. Carter's tender tenor shines here, as does Gibbs's locked-hands organ solo. "I was just struck by Sarah's music," Carter states. "She's a continued source of inspiration."

Other memorable selections include "Misterio," which investigates a comely Latin-ish beat, with Carter's warm soprano saxophone out front; and a searing version of Julius Hemphill's "The Hard Blues."

The trio's longevity is certainly a chief factor in the unmistakable success of At the Crossroads. Carter first met organist Gibbs in the late 1980s at Detroit jam sessions and was immediately impressed. "He continues to surprise and startle as far as the potential of what the organ can really do," Carter says.

King and Carter go back to his teenage years, when he was a member of King's combo Strata Nova, an important proving ground for young Detroit players. "He's been able to hip me to various artists, providing stacks of albums and cassettes over the years," Carter recalls.

Described by critics as "outrageously accomplished" and "simultaneously sensual and powerful," with "soulfulness and technique in perfect balance," James Carter has been a jazz marquee artist for more than two decades. He started playing high-level gigs with people like Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Julius Hemphill in the late 1980s and established himself as a restlessly curious artist who finds "tremendous beauty in cross-pollinations of music and influences." Earlier this year, his collaboration with classical composer Roberto Sierra, Caribbean Rhapsody (Emarcy), was released to strong reviews. The CD contains Carter's tour de force performance of Sierra's Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra, which he premiered with the Detroit Symphony in 2002.

Carter "often blends the far-out and the far-in within the same solo," Will Friedwald wrote in the New York Sun when the saxophonist's Present Tense (Emarcy) was released in 2008, "and lately he seems to be doing it at the same time, to have a traditional rhythm section playing against a screaming free jazz solo. He uses honks and screams not just the way the free jazzers do, but the way R&B-styled tenorists do, and thus somehow reconciles what is generally considered the least commercial variety of the music with the most accessible."

The James Carter Organ Trio will perform at Yoshi's Oakland 9/28-10/2; at Birdland NYC 10/4-8; and at Catalina's in Los Angeles 10/13-16. For the New York engagement only, the trio will be joined by guests Miche Braden (10/4-8), Steve Turre (10/4-7), and Rodney Jones (10/7-8).

Photos by Ingrid Hertfelder

James Carter Web Site:

www.jamescarterlive.com

[king ubu]

I wonder, does anyone ever read these promo blurbs?

Me, I *never* do. I know Chuck mentioned this in another thread, don't want to discuss this in each and every one, and don't intend this as an attack on you, GA!

However, I'd be much, much more interested in a few personal impressions AFTER listening (even if it's just a couple of sentences!). I tend to click away all that promo crap immediately. No idea how others feel, but in my case, these promo blurbs rather stop me from finding out if I might like a disc, rather than buying it.

But the latest of Carter's that I've heard - "Present Tense" - was pretty good.

(Oh, and couldn't the poor sidemen be allowed to dress properly, too? )

[The Rep]

They have got to let you know what is coming and without hearing the album, the next best thing is to read about it and then you can whatch for its release. I think you will find that "Heaven On Earth" was the more recent album for James Carter, 2009, where as "Presenttense" was 2008. Heaven On Earth was a really enjoyable album for me, from start to finish. My one criticism is the goodbyes and thank you to band, spoken over the backing at about three quarters of the way through the last track, a sensational rendition of Larry Youngs "Heaven On Earth". Looking forward to hearing the new album.

[king ubu]

Well honestly I could do with 10% of that amount of text. Or with an interesting interview with Carter or whatever. I just don't read the promo crap. I wait until I can have a listen to the disc in a store, and I don't mind if that's a few weeks or months after the official date of release (I've never really cared about dates of release... the only thing I ever pre-ordered was the big Ayler box, since naively I assumed such a great box had to be sold out fast...)

Also note that I said "the latest I've heard" - I'm not that big on Carter that I follow his every release.

[The Rep]

It was not criticizing you, in fact I agree with most of what I think you are saying but you must let someone know if you have something to sell. I apoligize for not reading your piece thoroughly but I would say, try "Heaven On Earth" , see if you like it. Its the best release since "Live At Bakers Keyboard Lounge" and with a quality cast John Medeski, Christian McBride, Adam Rogers and Joey Baron on drums.

[king ubu]

Ha, that "Live at Baker's"... that one never grabbed me, really. Some good moments, but very incoherent as a whole, I found. The band on "Heaven on Earth" does look good though ('xept for Medeski, whom I don't know well... never cared for MMW - is he on organ or keys or piano or all of that?).

My main point, I guess, is: I'm grown up, I can judge myself. Just bring the album with very little no-bullshit promo (make it a photo and four or five lines of text) and then let me hear myself.

I'm tired of being pampered and taken for a moron by all these promoters and consultants and marketing specialists.

And sorry, I didn't want to come across harshly towards you, Mr. Rep!

[GA Russell]

Ubu, you're making me laugh! It's not a homework assignment. Nobody is asking you to read anything you don't want to.

I've been posting these press releases because I expect there are some who would enjoy seeing the same thing professional critics see in preparation to hearing the music.

[mikeweil]

With all due respect, I think Carter deserves organ and drum players of a higher caliber than Gibbs and King - saw them live a couple of years ago and thought, he needs to be challenged more to play his best beyond displaying his talents on the verge of saxophone gimmickry. That's a style of organ combo playing stuck in the 1960's, somehow. I really like Carter, and they have a ball, but he can play a lot better than that.

Ha, that "Live at Baker's"... that one never grabbed me, really. Some good moments, but very incoherent as a whole, I found. The band on "Heaven on Earth" does look good though ('xept for Medeski, whom I don't know well... never cared for MMW - is he on organ or keys or piano or all of that?).

That album with Medeski is nice - a far more modern conception than with Carter's own trio. These guys get along very well!

[king ubu]

Ubu, you're making me laugh! It's not a homework assignment. Nobody is asking you to read anything you don't want to.

I've been posting these press releases because I expect there are some who would enjoy seeing the same thing professional critics see in preparation to hearing the music.

I know I don't have to read it... it's just to me that usually this lingo is off-putting enough that I might end up not checking out the albums. Guess that's just weird me

Will look out for the album with Medeski, though - thanks for mentioning it!

[GA Russell]

I like this album.

It's all over the board. There's some greasy funk, some gospel with vocals, some hard core blues. Most but not all of it would be appreciated by someone still somewhat new to jazz.

Gerard Gibbs on organ does an outstanding job, though this is clearly James Carter's album.