James Carter

Out of Nowhere
$16.98
When I listened to this in the car after buying it, it sounded VERY exciting, and I was shouting "Yeah, James!" I especially liked the different styles played in the set.

But wow, my co-reviewers really don't like this recording much. I promise to listen a few more times and update this review in a year. Maybe next year I'll be tired of Mr. Carter's 'immaturity' instead of feeling happy and excited by what I'm hearing!

For now, I'd call this recording one of the best live jazz recordings ever!

Chasin' the Gypsy
$13.98
Saxophonist James Carter has prodigious talent; unfortunately, he also has a tendency to be a hot dog. The result on this outing is a CD that is a glorious mess. Sonically, this is a dazzling CD, full of unusual, powerful, startling, and sometimes-effective sounds. Bell sounds coming out of nowhere, huge tones from the saxophone, crisp drums, subtle guitars, a glorious aural kaleidescope--but not always a glorious musical experience.

Listening to a James Carter recording is like taking a trip to the state fair: lots of fun, plenty of color and bright lights and exciting sounds and smells, but when it is all over, you just can't wait to get home and put all the garishness behind you. And so it is here. Carter has put together a heck of a band for his tribute to the music of Django Reinhardt, including Regina Carter (his sister) on violin, Jay Berliner on steel-string guitar, Romereo Lubamba on nylon-string guitar, Charlie Giordano on accordion, Steve Kirby on bass, Cyro Baptista on percussion, and Joey Baron on drums.

It is Carter's saxophone, though, that dominates the soundscape throughout, especially when he picks up his mighty bass saxophone on several of the cuts. Whoa! If only Carter could have backed off just a little, with not quite so many little flourishes and slides and squeals and pops and smears and trills and so darn many NOTES. If only he had done this, it might have been something of a musical trip to the Hot Club of France; but no, it's the state fair, and the overly boiled hot dogs just have too darn much mustard on them. Guilty pleasure to the max, but then comes the indigestion. Partake at your peril.

Heaven on Earth (Dig)
$16.98
"Heaven On Earth" is co-led by all five players, but it seems that James Carter is the reason for the disc. James Carter is the most virtuosic saxophone player today, and he's playing with John Medeski on organ (probably today's most prominent organist), Adam Rogers on guitar, Christian McBride on bass (one of the top contemporary bassists), and Joey Baron on drums (whose playing with Naked City marks him as one of the most virtuosic drummers around). The songs are loose soul-jazz, with plenty of time to jam. Though that might be a recipe for disaster, it is another recent all-star assembly where the players play well together. The overall mood is fun - for example, McBride's bass solo on "Diminishing" references a funky Sesame Street theme. I recommend "Heaven On Earth" most strongly to fans of James Carter or soul-jazz.

Live At Baker's Keyboard Lounge [CD on Demand]
$13.98
JAMES CARTER DOES A MASTERFUL JOB ON THIS LIVE CD...MODERN JAZZ IS A LIVE AND WELL..BUY THIS CD ..OVER 70 MINUTES OF SOLID JAZZ..CARTER AND GROUP IN GREAT FORM ...