1972 · Album
My Personal Songbook
Recorded 1972 · Milestone Records · Produced by Orrin Keepnews
The Bassist's Inner World Revealed
Carter strips away the big ensemble sound and lets us hear what he actually thinks about melody.
Ron Carter has always been the musician's musician—the guy holding down the foundation while everyone else takes the spotlight. My Personal Songbook is different. Here he's front and center, playing unaccompanied bass through a collection of standards and original pieces. There's no hiding behind a rhythm section or a famous bandleader's arrangements. It's just Carter, his instrument, and the songs he loves.
What strikes you immediately is how melodic this record is. You don't often think of bass solos as pretty, but Carter makes you reconsider. Pieces like the tracks here aren't about showing off technique, though his technique is flawless. Instead, they're about how a master musician interprets a familiar tune when nobody else is playing. He brings out harmonies you didn't know were there, finds the story in each song. The unaccompanied format actually opens things up rather than limiting them—without drums keeping time and a piano filling in chords, Carter becomes composer, accompanist, and soloist all at once.
This sits apart from Carter's work as a sideman, which is extensive and brilliant. If you know him mainly from supporting roles, this might surprise you. It's not the peak of his career necessarily, and it's not the place most people start with him. But it's essential for understanding how seriously he thought about music. There's an intimacy here that even his best ensemble recordings can't quite match. It's a portrait of a musician thinking out loud on his instrument.
Who's playing
Ron Carterdouble bass
Frank Chastenierpiano
Paul Shigiharaguitar
Johan Hörlénalto saxophone
Paul Hellertenor saxophone
John Marshalltrumpet
Ruud Breulstrumpet
Shannon Barnetttrombone
Ludwig Nusstrombone
Hans Dekkerdrums
WDR Big Band Kölninstrument
