Ron Carter

Ron Carter embodies sophistication and refinement free of pretension, standing as an elite bassist and a towering presence in jazz. He gained renown as part of Miles Davis' second great quintet during the 1960s, yet he ranks equally among history's finest sidemen and has released numerous recordings that highlight his extraordinary command of the instrument. An inventive force in rhythm and melody, Carter draws on the full spectrum of his bass and cello resources, deploying walking bass lines, rich and resonant timbres, sustained drones, and percussive strumming techniques. Predominantly an acoustic musician, he approaches classical repertoire with nearly the same mastery he brings to jazz and has appeared as soloist with orchestras across the globe. Beyond his contributions to landmark recordings by Davis, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, and additional artists, Carter has consistently produced his own wide-ranging projects, among them the 1978 release A Song for You scored for four cellos, 1995's Mr. Bow-Tie, and 2011's Ron Carter's Great Big Band. A three-time Grammy recipient, including recognition for the composition "Call Sheet Blues" featured in the 1987 film 'Round Midnight, he has also forged compelling duo and trio partnerships, such as the celebrated 1972 encounter Alone Together with Jim Hall, 1989's Duets alongside Helen Merrill, 2002's Dialogues with Houston Person, and 2016's The Purity of Turf with Ethan Iverson. Still performing vigorously in his eighties, Carter directs his quartet featuring pianist Renee Rosnes through the concert document Foursight: The Complete Stockholm Tapes and the 2022 documentary soundtrack Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes.

Born in Ferndale, Michigan, in 1937, Carter took up the cello at age ten and changed to bass during his Detroit high-school years. He performed in the Eastman School's Philharmonic Orchestra and received his undergraduate degree in 1959. Relocating afterward to New York, he joined Chico Hamilton's quintet that included Eric Dolphy and simultaneously entered the Manhattan School of Music. Some of his initial sessions date from this era, notably his appearance on Dolphy's Far Cry. Carter completed his master's degree in 1961. Once Hamilton headed back to the West Coast in 1960, Carter remained in New York, working with Dolphy and Don Ellis and making his first recordings in their company. During the early 1960s he collaborated with Randy Weston and Thelonious Monk while also playing and recording alongside Jaki Byard; he additionally toured and recorded in Bobby Timmons' trio and performed with Cannonball Adderley. A brief stint in Art Farmer's ensemble in 1963 preceded his recruitment into Miles Davis' group.

Carter stayed with Davis through 1968, joining Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to shape an innovative, more liberated rhythm-section approach. The three participated in every pivotal mid-1960s Davis album, among them E.S.P., Miles Smiles, and Nefertiti. That high-visibility association established the reputation that has made Carter one of the most prolifically recorded bassists in jazz. He has appeared on an extraordinary quantity of sessions; estimates range from 500 to as many as 1,000. The roster of musicians with whom he has worked defies exhaustive listing. Carter has belonged to the New York Jazz Sextet, the New York Jazz Quartet, the V.S.O.P. Tour, and the Milestone Jazzstars, and he performed in one of the ensembles featured in the 1986 film Round Midnight.

Since 1972 Carter has periodically fronted his own ensembles, employing a second bassist to maintain pulse and harmony and thereby freeing himself for extended solo statements. He also created the piccolo bass, spotlighted on the 1977 album Piccolo. His arrangements and original compositions have enriched both his own groups and those of other leaders, and he has documented numerous duo encounters with Cedar Walton, Jim Hall, and additional partners. In 1987 he received a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for "Call Sheet Blues," taken from the soundtrack album The Other Side of Round Midnight. A second Grammy arrived in 1994 for his work on the reunion project A Tribute to Miles. His recording affiliations have included Embryo/Atlantic, CTI, Milestone, Timeless, EmArcy, Galaxy, Elektra, and Concord before he settled at Blue Note for such albums as 1997's The Bass and I, 1998's So What, and 1999's Orfeu.

Entering the new century, Carter sustained a vigorous career, issuing a consistent flow of recordings while maintaining an extensive performance calendar. When Skies Are Grey appeared in early 2001 and was followed in 2002 by Stardust, his homage to the late bassist Oscar Pettiford. That same year he reunited with Houston Person for the duo's third collection of standards, Dialogues. In 2006 Blue Note issued another tribute, Dear Miles, dedicated to Miles Davis. Additional small-group recordings ensued, including the Japan-only 2007 release It's the Time and 2008's Jazz and Bossa.

Carter's first large-ensemble effort, Ron Carter's Great Big Band, arrived in 2011, featuring arrangements by conductor Robert M. Freedman and performances by such noted musicians as pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Lewis Nash. The next year he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Subsequent collaborations with drummer Gerry Gibbs produced the 2013 album Thrasher Dream Trio and 2014's We're Back. Also in 2014, Carter recorded My Personal Songbook with the WDR Big Band. In 2016 he rejoined saxophonist Person for the duo album Chemistry and, in the same year, recorded the trio date The Purity of Turf with pianist Ethan Iverson. A further Person partnership, Remember Love, appeared in 2018. The following year Carter collaborated with novelist, poet, and painter Danny Simmons on the Brooklyn multimedia event The Brown Beatnik Tomes: Live at BRIC House. A multi-volume concert series documenting the bassist's quartet with Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene, and Payton Crossley was later compiled as Foursight: The Complete Stockholm Tapes. In 2022 PBS broadcast the documentary Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes, for which Carter also provided the accompanying soundtrack.