Direct, precise and without filler – that’s a good way to describe Ron Carter, the tall, eloquent statesman of jazz.
For many musicologists, he is considered one of the great talents – if not The Goat – from upright acoustic bass. He’s the most recorded guitarist in the world, having performed over 2,200 records, according to Guinness World Records (although Carter will quickly tell you that the list was short in the hundreds).
For all his accomplishments, a new documentary about his life leaves Carter somewhat distraught. Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes, which debuted October 21 on PBS, took nearly six years to film.
“I only saw the trailer for a few minutes, and I was almost embarrassed that they were talking about me,” Carter says. “I was like, ‘Oh man, they’re talking about me! “I haven’t gotten over that yet.”
Produced and directed by Peter Schnall, the documentary is a patiently detailed love letter to Carter that explores his work since the beginning of his prolific career spanning nearly seven decades.
Carter was approaching his 80th birthday when he started working on the documentary, but you haven’t made in countless stages and thousands of recordings over 60 years without being in constant motion. The production team had to be flexible enough to catch Carter in time to shoot the clips, so far, he might be the mastermind of jazz on any stage or recording studio from New York to France to Japan. The word “fixed” does not fit his repertoire.
Carter’s meteoric rise began in the early 1960s with one of the most legendary bands in genre history, the second Miles Davis Quint. Only in his mid-twenties at the time, Carter’s work with Davis helped propel jazz forward along with the piano magic of young Herbie Hancock, the late drum prodigy Tony Williams, and the late saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
He says the title of Carter’s documentary fits his style of art, and his life in general.
“Feedback is very important to what we do,” Carter explains. “Notes make what we do happen. Tonal arrangement does a lot of things that come in the form of a song; they come in the form of chord progression. They come in the form of buliding. Those ingredients we’re looking for are the core, it’s just like having a Jell-O without gelatin.” It’s like just drinking water. Gelatin
Keeps the water in the bowl and maintains the density of the water. It’s as important as the cow’s to the milk, so to speak.”
For musicians who intend to perform at the highest peak in their art form, they should be diligent in finding a certain set of tones—or notes—that give the music a certain value or “emotional impact,” Carter continues.
“And every now and then we find that note. But there are also combinations of these notes, and whatever combination you come across makes that song special,” he says, referring to Davis’ famous 1959 album “Kind of Blue.”
“This entire record, is filled with all those notes that make this record as special as it is,” Carter says. “Now, I have found some. I am looking for more every night.”
Lauded in equal measure around the world for his musical talent, creativity, and innovation, Hancock told Variety that a comprehensive film exploration of Carter’s extraordinary life was too late. When they began playing together on Davis’ group, Carter stood out due to his instant ability to develop into a musician who wasn’t afraid to try something new for fear of getting the other members of the band fired. This style of play helped propel both into unknown musical areas at the time.
“Ron Carter is like a blood brother to me,” Hancock says. “He gives a lot and will do anything for you. He is like me he simply loves people. He loves to perform and interact with humans.
“It is a pleasure to be able to present what you have made, because we are improvised,” Hancock continues. “We can take something written on the page and modify it as we see fit at the moment. And that, in and of itself, is a creative process. … Moment by moment, things change, and we all interact with the things that are going on around us. That is part of Ron’s greatness. Carter”.
Guitarist Pat Metheny believes that Carter has set a distinctive path in music that deserves worldwide applause.
“There is no musician on the planet right now more important than Mr. Carter,” says Metheny, praising his “amazing legacy and scope” and humanity.
“It’s hard to overstate this range,” says Metheny. “We are talking about a musician who has not only played with thousands of musicians across the widest possible range of modern music for nearly seven decades now, but what he has given to those endless encounters has, without fail, transformed musical scores powerfully and without exception for the better. He makes every A musical attitude and every musician around him is better.”
Although he does not shy away from being first and foremost a jazz musician, Carter’s voice has been sought after by whoever is from the musicians. Aretha Franklin, A Tribe Called Quest, Paul Simon, Jefferson Airplane, Roberta Flack, and Erykah Badu are among the many artists who sought him for the recordings.
“I’m always amazed because I adore such diverse music,” Carter says. “There are always great bass players in New York available for their projects. But somehow, they decided that this jazz player, Ron Carter, would be good for our record. Now, why did they decide that? I don’t care. My job, once I understand what they’re trying to do, can I help Their dream come true. Can I help turn their record into something they couldn’t do if I wasn’t there.”
As much as Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes delves into his career, the movie also offers us never-before-seen glimpses of the family man, friend, teacher, and kind person who also defines his character.
Guitarist Russell Malone knows the different sides of Carter well, having toured with him on and off since 1995.
“He’s a no-nonsense guy,” Malone says affectionately about his relationship with Carter. “Don’t come to Ron with any bullshit or crap on or off the band stage. Now, having said that, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a sense of humor. His sense of humor is great.”
Describing his humanity and kindness toward others, Malone remembers performing with the Carter Ensemble in Istanbul, alongside dazzling young pianist, the late Mulgrew Miller. Miller joined the tour after recovering from a stroke.
“We were at the sound check and listening to a tune we played countless times,” Malone recalls, his voice bursting with emotion. “Mulgrew got a quick syllable in that tone that was written for the piano. Before the stroke, Mulgrew would rip it off as if it were nothing, but after the stroke his facility dwindled somewhat.”
Miller kept trying but eventually took his hands off the keys and started crying.
“He couldn’t play that clip anymore and started screaming like a little kid. Ron Carter, put the bass on the floor and walked over to the piano where Mulgrew was sitting, and hugged Mulgrew,” Malone says. “He cradled him in his arms as if a parent was comforting a child. She didn’t say any words, that was just a powerful moment. This is an aspect of Ron Carter that not many can see. Yes, he is a strict man, but he has such pedagogical qualities which I had the honor to see.”
Always a jazz ambassador, fans of Carter’s music can still catch him on stage all over the world. But the maestro admits that he may gradually reduce his travel and devote more attention to it Online company, RonCarterJazz.com. The site offers online courses and educational books on bass playing and classical performances, among other things.
Carter sees his role as a teacher in engaging a different cylinder in the engine that propels him on the path to greatness.
“I think I’m a great teacher,” Carter says beaming. “I have students who have really thrived under my watchful eyes and big wand, you know. But I think teaching is an important way to help this music continue to grow as well, though other things. And if I can be part of a needle in a tree that helps jazz do With something, like if I could help influence someone to play bass instead of baseball, I did my job.”
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