Ron Carter

• Guest Lecturer

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. He can be heard on many iconic jazz records of the 60’s and 70’s such as Speak No Evil, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, Red Clay, Nefertiti and Miles Smiles, to name a few. After leaving the Miles Davis Quintet he embarked on a prolific 50-year free-lance career that spanned vastly different music genres and continues to this day. He recorded with Roberta Flack 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. Carter spends at least half the year on worldwide tours with his various groups. The Ron Carter Trio, The Ron Carter quartet, the Ron Carter Nonet and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. He has recorded multiple albums with his groups.

Ron Carter has received numerous prestigious awards including multiple Grammys, The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, awarded by the Japanese government for his contributions to Japan-US relations in the field of music, the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Minister of Culture given to those who have distinguished themselves in the domain of artistic or literary creation and for their contribution to the spread of arts and letters in France and the world. Since Carter earned a Guinness World Record as the most recorded jazz bassist with 2,221 recordings he has recorded hundreds more.

His autobiography “Finding the Right Notes” is available in print and as an audiobook read by the Maestro himself. In October 2022 PBS released a full-length feature film documentary called Ron Carter Finding the Right Notes. Because of his indelible contribution to the genre, he is featured in many jazz documentaries including Ken Burns “Jazz”, “Birth of the Cool” about Miles Davis, “It Must be Schwing”, the story of the Blue Note and many more.

As a teacher Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities, including the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies (Boston), The City College of New York, Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. 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. He has also received seven honorary doctorates. More at www.RonCarterJazz.com

Photo by Seda Ozguven