Ron Carter

Jazz Career

RON CARTER is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz. He has recorded over 2200 albums and has a Guinness world record to prove it! From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. Over his 60-year career, he has recorded with many of the jazz greats: Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, Bobby Timmons, Eric Dolphy, Cannonball Adderley, and Jaki Byard, to name a few. He can be heard on many iconic jazz records of the 60s and 70s such as Speak No Evil, Maiden Voyage, Red Clay, Speak Like a Child, Nefertiti, and Miles Smiles.

Work in Other Genres

After leaving the quintet, Carter embarked on a prolific 50-year freelance career that spanned vastly different music genres and continues to this day. He recorded with Roberta Flack, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, and Aretha Franklin, appeared on the seminal hip-hop album Low End Theory with a Tribe Called Quest, wrote and recorded pieces for string quartets and Bach chorales for 2-8 basses, and accompanied Danny Simmons on a spoken word album.

Leadership Roles

Carter continues to do worldwide tours with his various groups: The Golden Striker Carter Trio, The Foursight Quartet, the Ron Carter Nonet, and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. He has recorded multiple albums with his groups.

Authorship

Carter shares his expertise in a series of books he authored, where he explains his creative process and teaches bassists of all levels to improve their skills and develop their own unique sound. His books feature a unique element: QR codes leading to additional material, enriching the text. He also penned his autobiography, Finding the Right Notes, available in print, e-book, and as an audiobook read by Carter himself.

Teaching Career

Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities. He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston. After 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He also taught at the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music.

Film Scoring and Appearances

In addition to scoring and arranging music for many films, including projects for Public Broadcasting System, Carter composed music for A Gathering of Old Men, starring Lou Gosset Jr., The Passion of Beatrice directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and Blind Faith starring Courtney B. Vance. In 2022, PBS premiered the feature film documentary of Carter's life, Finding the Right Notes. Many jazz documentaries feature Carter, including Ken Burns Jazz, Birth of the Cool about Miles Davis, It Must Be Schwing: The Story of the Blue Note, and more. He appeared as himself in HBO's hit series Treme and was the bassist on soundtracks of Twin Peaks, Bird, and many others.

Education

Carter earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School in Rochester and a Master’s degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

Event Details

Dinner or a two-drink minimum is required in addition to the tickets, plus a $0.49 music royalty fee per patron. Doors open for dinner 1 1/2 hours before the first show and 1/2 hour before the second show if there is a second show. Except for Private Events. Ticket sales are final. Catalina's Management