James Carter Organ Trio, Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars Thursday 22nd April

James Carter – saxophones, Gerard Gibbs – B3 Organ, Leonard King – drumsophonee Armstrong - Bass

James Carter is back in town. One of the most admired saxophonists of his generation and a powerful force in today’s jazz scene, James Carter’s playing is firmly rooted in 20th-century Afro-American culture.

The sweep of his imagination and the power of his technique embraces the whole saxophone tradition in jazz which he has extended into the 21st century through his resolutely contemporary outlook, prompting Hi-Fi UK magazine to dub him a “Modern sax God.”.

James Carter – bio
An artist long intrigued by contrasts and hybrids, Carter resists comfortable categorization. Born (1969) and raised in Detroit, Carter grew up surrounded by music, soaking up everything from funk and fusion to rock, soul, and various strains of acoustic jazz. It was the late trumpeter Lester Bowie who first brought Carter to New York, inviting him to perform with his New York Organ Combo. The Bowie connection led to Carter’s debut recording, 1993’s JC on the Set, a quartet tour de force that announced the arrival of a superlative new talent equally expressive on alto, tenor, and baritone sax (though he’s added several other horns over the years, most importantly soprano sax).

Carter always finds a way into what ever musical situation he finds himself in. “You have to be totally comfortable wherever,” Carter says. “I think there’s tremendous beauty in cross-pollinations of music and influences.” In 2000, he released two albums simultaneously that seemed to proclaim everything fair game: Chasin’ the Gypsy, a voluptuous, lyrical session partly inspired by the timeless collaboration between Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and the groove-laden Layin’ in the Cut, which combines harmolodic freedom with a deep reservoir of funk.

He’s reinvented the organ combo (with 2005’s Out of Nowhere and again in 2009 with John Medeski on Heaven and Earth), explored the music of alt-rock band Pavement (on 2005’s Gold Sounds), and paid loving tribute to Billie Holiday (on 2003’s Gardenias for Lady Day). Taken in context, Carter’s creative rendezvous with Sierra makes perfect sense.