When, in 1988, James Carter changed his native Detroit for New York City, in no time the whole jazz scene of the big apple rushed over to gape at all that talent. Carter didn’t only have the technique and the sound to blow you away, he had also mastered the complete family of reed instruments (from contrabass and bass clarinet, up to sopranino and contrabass saxophone). He also didn’t restrict himself to one style of playing: his flawless command of avant-garde jazz is at par with his knowledge of all classic and traditional currents. Recently he released the beautiful tribute album Gardenias for Lady Day a homage to Billy Holiday. Next to his perfect musicianship Carter also is a first class entertainer, which you must have seen in order to understand his versatility.
