COMPOSERS: Ron Carter
LABELS: In and Out
ALBUM TITLE: Ron Carter Golden Striker Trio: San Sebastian
WORKS: San Sebastian
PERFORMER: Ron Carter (bass), Russell Malone (guitar), Melgrew Miller (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: IORDVDCD771039
This latest release by legendary jazz bassist and former Miles Davis sideman Ron Carter (now 75) is a live recording of his Golden Striker Trio. The trio, which first appeared on a Blue Note CD in 2003, has since toured extensively, and this recording is from a 2010 appearance at the Jazzaldia Festival in Spain. The music is exemplary, a showcase of the finest jazz-bass technique on Carter’s resonant four-string bass, demonstrating his mastery of the fingerboard and instinctive precision.
The mixed programme, with some standards, includes his own tune ‘Candle Light’ which gently flickers around the trio as they anticipate each other’s moves. He captures the festival’s sunny location with the simmering ‘Samba de Orpheu’ and breezy ‘Saudade’ (longing). The added DVD has a superb bonus track, a tribute to bassist Oscar Pettiford.
Neil McKim