If I ever had to pick a bassist that would bear the title “the best”, then it would surely be Ron Carter. He is one of the finest ever, that’s not a secret at all, but if you ask me why is he the best then I would tell you - because of his dignified elegance with which he does what he does on, with, and around the double bass. He plays every note with seriousness and attention as if it is the hardest thing to play - and the guy can play whatever he wants. In a way, more complexed pieces for double bass started to appear in the history of classical music and jazz, mostly because of virtuoso players like himself. There was no challenge Carter couldn’t or wouldn’t take. That’s why he is the most recorded bass player ever, appearing on over 2.200 albums so far, fifty of which he recorded as a leader. A true master, who further liberated the bass from its anchoring role in music.
There is a lot to say about Carter, and from many perspectives, but always with the highest attributes. Because he is no ordinary player, but a master of rhythm, harmony, and melody. And, of course, there is that assured, yet mellow tone he produces out of those four fat strings. However, we have to start somewhere, and the best would be to start from the beginning of his musical journey. He started playing the cello at the age of ten, but when his family moved to Detroit, he ran into difficulties performing on the instrument due to the racial stereotyping of classical musicians. Carter switched to playing double bass and his first professional performances as a jazz musician were with Jaki Byard and Chico Hamilton, while his first records were made with Eric Dolphy and Don Ellis, in 1960. He achieved international attention as a member of Miles Davis' legendary "second great quintet" during the mid to late 1960s. With nimble and accurate technique, his clear lines always kept the pulse steadily moving and synchronized perfectly with everyone on stage. From then on, Carter’s career was constantly on the rise, if one could say that at all for an artist who reached the top heights in the first decade of his professional musicianship.
Carter is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Music Department of City College of New York, having taught there for 20 years, and received an honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music in Spring 2005. He joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York City in 2008, teaching bass in the school's Jazz Studies program.
In an interview, Carter described his creative process with the following words: “ When I hear an idea in my head, I try to sit down and figure it out on the bass. I explore what the best chords are to make the song do something. I may also reach out to the piano to work things out. I’m not a bad piano player, but I’m not a very good one. I have enough skill on the instrument to allow me to get through a song to find out if I really need a melody at a certain point, or if there is a better chord that I can play to give the song a different flair than it has without it. It’s not so much about trial and error, but more about trusting my instincts and knowing that if I find a good way of doing something, that I know it’s right… I still do things the old-fashioned way, and use a pencil, paper, and an eraser and notate everything. Next, I try to play it for the guys in the band. Hopefully, I have enough information on paper for them and there’s not too much need for verbal explanation of what I’m looking for.”
THE LOW ENDVOL.1: THE BASS THE LOW END VOL.2:CHARLES MINGUS THE LOW END VOL.3:PAUL CHAMBERS THE LOW END VOL.4: NIELS-HENNINGØRSTED PEDERSEN
