A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH JAMES CARTER


James Carter - young, never a young lion - returns with an album of Billie Holiday familiars. Hardly one to do a conventional tribute, it struck me as curious that he would settle on this project as his first Columbia recording. So I asked and he answered and it is all below in fine print, unedited and in his own words.


FRED JUNG: Gardenias for Lady Day - James Carter doesn't do concept albums.

JAMES CARTER: No, I was the one that presented it. I started really noticing the relationship between vocalists and instrumentalists. My quintessential example of that is the relationship between Billie Holiday and Lester Young. I've always dug Billie. This isn't something that's recent. One of the first five albums that I was listening to religiously was The Billie Holiday Story that Columbia re-released back in the Seventies. It covered the golden age between her and Prez. I've been noticing the sound through the years, this relationship between vocalists and instrumentalists. It is something that has been decaying at jam sessions. The strings are just a hip, harmonic pillow to deal with. There is nothing like a multitude of organic strings in sync with one another. So this wasn't anything that the label decided to push on me. This was something that was one of my babies from jump.


FJ: A decade has passed since your lionized debut, JC on the Set. How has James Carter come of age?

JAMES CARTER: I feel there is more of a focus on making sure that there is a wider pallet of music to be dealt with. I guess I have a semblance of maturity that's come into playing ballads and just keeping it honest and wholesome. I've been listening to a whole lot of vocalists during that ten year span. I've been digging a whole lot of Caruso. I've just been trying to incorporate the vocal quality into my playing. I've been dealing with mainly sax, flute, clarinet and I have double reeds in the background too, oboe and bassoon. But the first three are my main focus.


FJ: Rumor has it your house is a woodwind museum.

JAMES CARTER: I do OK (laughing). I can't put a number on it.


FJ: What is in your tour bag?

JAMES CARTER: Well, I bring an average of three. I think the contrabass clarinet will probably be dealt with.


FJ: Has the public caught up to James Carter?

JAMES CARTER: I get that from a good portion of people, but there are some individuals that don't hear "Strange Fruit," for example.


FJ: Should the Art Ensemble of Chicago fill Lester Bowie's trumpet chair?

JAMES CARTER: No, no, but I guess you could also look at it in the sense when Julius passed and World Saxophone Quartet. It was definitely essential in that regard that place be filled because of the density of the group. I've played with the Art Ensemble earlier this year and I think this is as close as Lester's chair being taken with my inclusion in it. Nobody can step up with the amassed integrity and honesty to fill that spot. There is no understudy for situations like that.


FJ: And the future?

JAMES CARTER: I am still holding on to the groups that got started over at Atlantic, the organ trio. We're currently touring right now. The Chasin' the Gypsy group, I'm looking at a sophomore album with other repertoire in tango areas and stuff like that. I am keeping all my options open. These are all great groups and I am just trying to follow Lester's legacy in terms of keeping different projects happening. In addition to the New York Organ Ensemble, he also had Brass Fantasy and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The diversity kept his energy flowing.

Fred Jung is the Editor-In-Chief and is Wang Chunging tonight. Comments? Email Him