Ron Carter got off to a big start. His first recording session was playing bass on Ernie Wilkins's The Big New Band of the '60s, in March and April 1960. The band included Clark Terry (tp,flhrn); Richard Williams and Charlie Shavers (tp); Henderson Chambers (tb); two unknown trombonists; Earle Warren (as); Zoot Sims, Seldon Powell and Yusef Lateef (ts); Eddie Costa (vib); Walter Bishop, Jr. (p); Kenny Burrell (g); Ron Carter (b); Charlie Persip (d) and Ernie Wilkins (arr,dir). [Photo above of Ron Carter by Brian McMillen, courtesy of Brian McMillen]
Ron would go on to become one of music's most in-demand studio players, recording bass on nearly 3,000 jazz, pop and soul sessions. In 1960 alone, he recorded on Charles Persip and the Jazz Statesmen, Three Faces of Yusef Lateef, Howard McGhee's Dusty Blue, Eric Dolphy's Out There, Don Ellis's How Time Passes, Randy Weston's Uhuru Arika, Gil Evans's Out of the Cool, Eric Dolphy's Far Cry and Coleman Hawkins's Night Hawk.
Many people who meet Ron for the first time come away believing he is withdrawn, laid-back or disinterested. In truth, he's internally intensive and someone who prefers to be the second person to talk. I've interviewed Ron several times for album liner notes, for my book Why Jazz Happened, and for JazzWax in 2008. You can read Part 1 here (the link to subsequent parts can be found above the red date). Ron is elegant and distinguished and always working hard to take his art to a new level.
Today, I'd like you to get to know the real Mr. Carter and why he's so important through Peter Schnall's recent PBS documentary, Ron Carter, Finding the Right Notes. Go here...