Ron Carter - As Time Goes By
From Album: “Dear Miles”
Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American jazz double-bassist. His unique sound has made him a long sought after studio man. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that instrument. He also has recorded a large body of classical work, and he contributed to the film score for Desperate Characters (1971).
Bassist Ron Carter provided the anchor for Miles Davis's band from 1963 to 1969, becoming an indispensable part of one of the trumpeter’s greatest bands. While there's plenty of reflection on Davis's music and personality here, the emphasis is squarely on Carter's own long-standing quartet, featuring pianist Stephen Scott, drummer Payton Crossley and percussionist Roger Squitero. As you'd expect from that line-up the emphasis is often on rhythm, with Carter's warm-toned, resonant bass pulsing at the heart of the music. Davis's fleet "Seven Steps to Heaven" inspires racing invention from Scott and some vibrantly explosive percussion from Squitero, while "My Funny Valentine" has Scott playing with the kind of spare lyricism that was a Davis hallmark, Carter supplying a beautiful chordal accompaniment. There's even a bell-like elegance to the subtle blues-feel of "Bag's Groove." While much of the material alludes directly to Davis's inspiration, the quartet's also reflects one of Davis’s own stylistic sources, pianist Ahmad Jamal's trio. --Stuart Broomer
