Carter's Blues at Van Gelder
A solid session where Carter steps front and center, playing the bass like a conversation partner instead of just keeping time.
Ron Carter made hundreds of records as a sideman, so it's easy to forget he was also a bandleader with something to say. Blues Farm catches him doing exactly that — leading a small group through blues-based material recorded at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey in 1973. This is Carter comfortable in his own space, where his bass lines don't have to support someone else's concept. He gets to be the anchor and the voice.
The album sits in the middle of Carter's catalog, neither his flashiest nor his most essential work. If you're already into Carter as a player, you'll find this worth your time. If you're new to him, you're probably better served starting with his work on other leaders' dates — the guy was on so many Blue Note sessions that you've likely heard him without knowing it. But Blues Farm matters because it shows what happens when the best session bassist in New York decides to lead the date himself. The interplay between his bass and the horns has real ease to it, the kind that only comes from someone who knows how to listen from that instrument's vantage point.
The title tells you what to expect: blues underneath, but played with the harmonic sophistication Carter brought to everything. Nothing flashy, nothing trying to prove anything. Just solid playing from someone in complete command of his instrument and his band. It's the work of a pro who knew his strengths and used them without overreaching.
Who's playing
Ron Carterbass
Richard Teeelectric piano
Bob Jameselectric piano
Sam Brownelectric guitar
Gene Bertonciniguitar
Hubert Lawsflute
Billy Cobhamdrums
Ralph MacDonaldpercussion
Where next?
More by Ron Carter
All 11 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
