Jazz Police - James Carter Organ Trio at SPACE in Evanston, July 27th

James Carter Organ Trio at SPACE in Evanston, July 27th

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

James Carter©Andrea Canter

“Carter’s ease with swing, bop and avant-garde styles also gave notice that a staggeringly inclusive figure—the apotheosis of the postmodern jazzman—was now among us.

--Steve Futterman, The Washington Post

Perennial winner of critics and reader’s polls for his prowess on all things saxophone (and a few other wind instruments), James Carter has basked in the jazz limelight since his first recordings hit the streets in the mid 1990s. Celebrating ten years of collaboration, the James Carter Organ Trio breezes into Evanston for a night at SPACE (Society for the Preservation of Art and Culture in Evanston). Joining Carter are fellow Detroit natives Gerard Gibbs on organ and Leonard King on drums.

A native of Detroit, James Carter’s family exposed him to a wide range of music, from Hendrix to P-Funk to Miles. Frustrated by the rigidity of band instruction in high school, Carter sought private lessons from local reedman (and current Twin Cities resident) Donald Washington, whom he now refers to as his “musical father.” Recalled Carter, “He said that you could have ideas up the wazoo, but if you don’t have a sound to convey these ideas and permeate the human soul, it’s like a tree falling in the forest with nobody to hear it.” Washington also introduced young Carter to the baritone sax. “Discovered” by Wynton Marsalis and Lester Bowie, Carter at 17 was playing with the Marsalis Quintet, later joining Bowie in his New Organ Ensemble in New York. From that point, Carter quickly rose to the forefront of young sax lions, playing with Julius Hemphill, Betty Carter, and with the Marsalis Big Band at Lincoln Center.

Gerard Gibbs©Andrea Canter

Carter’s career as solo artist and bandleader was launched in 1994 with his first release for Atlantic, The Real Quiet Storm, and Sony’s American issue of JC on the Set (which had been released a year earlier in Japan); a series of acclaimed recordings followed. Reflecting his growing and diverse tastes, Carter went totally electric with Layin’ in the Cut (2000), followed by a sharp left turn back to acoustics with an album celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt, Chasin’ the Gypsy (featuring cousin Regina Carter). Although not released until 2004 on Warner Brothers, Carter returned to Detroit in 2001 to make record Live at Bakers’ Keyboard Lounge; and back with Sony, Carter released a tribute to Billie Holiday, Gardenias for Lady Day, in 2003. Carter’s next projects involved his organ trio (Out of Nowhere, Half Note, 2004) and Gold Sounds (Brown Brothers, 2005), setting the rock music of Pavement into jazz forms and featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut. He released Present Tense in 2008, his debut for EmArcy; in 2009, he joined forces with John Medeski for Heaven on Earth; in 2011 he released two recordings, Caribbean Rhapsody with orchestra (featuring compositions by Robert Sierra), and Crossroads with his organ trio, in celebration of their ten years of collaboration.

Not limited to wowing audiences with his sheer musical power, Carter played the role of Ben Webster in Robert Altman’s film, Kansas City, and has maintained a connection to classical music through tours with the Kathleen Battle and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Among many accolades and honors, James Carter was the recipient of the Dr. Alaine Locke Award from the Detroit Institute of Arts and Friends of African and African American Art for individuals who have provided exemplary service and leadership in the promotion of African American culture. Carter has been a multi-year winner or runner-up of Downbeat’s critics and readers polls as Baritone Saxophonist of the Year, a title also given to him in 2011 by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Leonard King©Andrea Canter

Another Detroit native, Gerard Gibbs has been a lover of jazz ever since age 3 when his father introduced him to the music of the late organist, Richard “Groove” Holmes. At age 7, he met Holmes, who ultimately became his mentor and role model. Gibbs started classical piano studies at age 9. In 1996, Gerard met another organ legend, Jimmy Smith, while attending his concert at the Bluebird Inn in Detroit. Like Holmes, Smith became a mentor for the young organist. Currently, Gerard performs nationally with saxmen Marion Meadows and Ronnie Laws as well as with James Carter and tours with contemporary jazz group, Pieces of a Dream. Still based in Detroit, Gibbs works as an Architectural Engineer for the City of Detroit by day, leading his bands at night and on weekends—including RYZ (pronounced “Rise”) and Gerard Gibbs & ORGANized Crime.

Drummer Leonard King, a Detroit native who now resides in the Twin Cities, has been the anchor of the James Carter Organ Trio while also maintaining a busy teaching career. He started out as a vocalist in early childhood, but was soon banging out rhythm patterns on anything he could get his hands on. Soon his parents offered him drum lessons. As a youth he formed the band Leonard King and the Soul Messengers, which performed for ten years. His resume includes work with Donald Byrd, Paquito D'Rivera, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Griffin, David Murray, T-Bone Walker, Bobby Watson, Regina Carter, Herb Ellis, and Alvin Batiste. King heads his own recording company and devotes significant time to jazz education. He is the author of the “Drum Fun and Vocals, Too" program, which he has implemented throughout Minnesota. He continues to tour with James Carter’s ensembles including the Organ Trio.

There’s no organ trio working today that can burn faster or hotter or with more conviction than the James Carter Organ Trio, filling the SPACE in Evanston on Friday, July 27^th at 8 pm.

SPACE is located at 1245 Chicago Avenue in Evanston; general admission $17; reserved tables $30; http://evanstonspace.com/artists/james-carter-organ-trio

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