I have been trying to clean up some of the WordPress files associated with blog, and lo and behold, what do I find, but this post, which I never published.  I started it, and worked on it, and was shooting for the stars with a big ol’ post about one of my very favorite bassists – I was blessed to study with him for 3.5 years.  Well, instead of finishing that, I ended up having to deal with other things.  So, here’s that post, trimmed to focus on the records only.  As usual, I have tons of CDs, but this is a LP-based project…

I have tons and tons of Ron Carter recordings, both as a leader and a sideman, but this list is just of the LPs I own under his name.  I listened to all of them last summer (2010!), intending to write this post, but never got around to it.  So I’m listening again, which is an absolute joy.

• Blues Farm – You simply cannot imagine how badly I want a piccolo bass.  He plays “Django” on the CD Friends, and that version is totally great too.  Hubert Laws sounds great on this record – those two will continue to collaborate for the rest of their careers (to date, anyway).  Most of the tunes on Blues Farm are groove – based. The picture on the inside of the gatefold shows (I think – it’s a bit difficult to see) gut strings on the D and G string.  I wonder when he switched over to steel…?  One thing about his composing: he loves sequences.  Check out “Two Beat Johnson,” for starters.
• All Blues – Joe Henderson is an absolute monster on this one.  For sequences, check out “A Feeling.”  The bass-duet version of “Will You Still Be Mine?” that ends the record is really, really great.
• Spanish Blue – Another reason this took so long to publish – this post, that is – is that when I first played this LP last summer, my turntable blew up.  Great record.  The blowing on “So What,” in particular, is incredible.  Speaking of sequences, check out Hubert Laws on that solo.  Oh, and some pretty serious electric bass playing on “Arkansas.”
• Anything Goes – Released on a KUDU, a CTI subsidiary, this is practically “big budget” compared to other LPs so far listed.  There are tons of great musicians on this LP.  It’s not my favorite in the RC catalog, but that doesn’t mean it lacks great moments.  Some amazing playing on here…  Oh, and hey, Eric Gale is incredible as always!  And the two sambas on this record are fantastic, thanks especially to Jimmy Madison.
• Pastels – This LP has strings on it, so the arranging prospects are somewhat greater than the first couple of CTI records (but this is on Milestone).  The guitarist is Hugh McCracken, and he shreds on harmonica, too.
• Piccolo – I might have mentioned how badly I want a piccolo bass… I think this record is great, what with the dynamic rhythm section of Kenny Barron, Buster Williams and Ben Riley, and Mr. Carter on piccolo bass.  It’s completely swinging, interesting, dynamic – a great record.  In particular, I love this version of “Sun Shower” (I just wish the piano had been tuned!).  Nicely spirited bass/piccolo trading on “Blue Monk.”
• Peg Leg – This LP has added woodwinds (excellent writing by the great Robert M. Freedman).  The rhythm section is mostly the same as on Piccolo, with the addition of Jay Berliner on guitar.  “Epistrophy,” especially, is great.
• A Song for You – Another really nice record.  Jack DeJohnette and Kenny Barron sound especially fantastic.  I also really like this version of “A Quiet Place,” which at the very least, is a recasting of Mr. Carter’s original composition “Doom,” which itself is a recasting of his piece “Mood.”
• Parade – Joe Henderson is incredible, Tony Williams is too (and so understated!) and, or course,  Chick Corea is also incredible.  Nice horns charts, too.
• Pick ‘Em – Another great outing with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Ben Riley.  The cello section is lovely, and Hugh McCracken rules the harmonica world here, again.  The track “B and A” is a bass duet track.
• Patrao -“Ah, Rio”…a lovely tune.  This LP has some amazing jazz musicians on it (Chet Baker, Kenny Barron, Jack DeJohnette) and it also has some amazing Brazilian cats on it, like the amazing Edison Machado and the marvelous Nana Vasconcelos.  The juxtaposition of the two languages is nice to hear, and Chet Baker, in particular, makes the most of each moment.  Kenny Barron is flawless, as usual.  This LP also has a nice recording of a Ron Carter standard, “Third Plane.”
• Etudes – The band on this record is, to my mind, a pretty unlikely line-up, with Bill Evans (the saxophone player), Art Farmer, and Tony Williams – no chordal instrument.  I mean, beyond the “no chordal instrument” aspect is the shock of Bill Evans (the fusion-y saxophone player) and Art Farmer playing together.  I mean, I see the Carter/Williams combo, no problem, and can add either Evans or Famer to the duo without any brain cells exploding, but both Farmer and Evans causes some problems for my noggin.  But wait…they sound great together!  They are so different that, because the tunes are a bit unlike the compositions on Mr. Carter’s previous recording, well it works.  It’s possible that the first tune (forgive me for not having transcribed anything yet) is even free bop.  Ok, ok, so maybe not all the tunes are different; “Rufus” is also on the LP All Blues. Anyway, I think this LP is really great because the kinds of questions being asked and the musical realms being explored are very different from what we have heard so far.  Love it.  A major source of joy for me is listening to Carter/Williams play without any other rhythm section instrument.  They breathe together so nicely…
• All Alone – This LP is all about solo bass.  It is very different from other great solo bass records like Dave Holland’s Emerald Tears or Gary Peacock’s whatever because Mr. Carter’s playing is so unique.  His virtuosity comes not from obvious technical displays, but instead from the clarity of his lines and the development of his ideas.  I think it’s a great record.  The first track, “D.B. Blues,” is a mulling-over of various Ron Carter-isms.  At one point, he quotes himself by playing the melody to “Rufus.”  Really interesting exploration of “Body & Soul.”

I love these records.

Best, R