DownBeat May 2001 [antikvár]

For two days this past summer (Aug. 26-27), the Charlie Parker Festival spread a "jazz family" atmosphere around New York, with shows from the likes of Sphere, Clark Terry and the Stefon Harris Quartet. For the first time in its eight-year history, the festival expanded to Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park for the opening day of shows; and it moved to its traditional home at Tompkins Square Park, nearby Bird's 1950s East Village apartment, for the second day. In contrast to all the bad press about the decline of jazz, this intimate gathering made one feel happy to be "on the scene." PHOTOS BY JEFFREY KLIMAN On his latest meditation on pandiasporic themes, When Skies Are Grey (Blue Note), bassist Ron Carter frames his resonant sound and melodic ingenuity with an imposing array of rhythms and textures from Brazil and Latin jazz. During a recent appearance on New York's WKCR to publicize a week-long engagement by his quartet at the Iridium, Carter waxed eloquent on the challenges posed by exploring Latin musics. YOU WERE VERY ACTIVE IN THE STUDIOS WHEN THE BRAZILIAN EXPLOSION BEGAN IN THE 'eOS. WAS THE MUSIC IIWIVIEDIATELY APPEALING TO YOU? I enjoyed the rhythm of the brush and the stick. It seemed like a real strong rhythm, but it was transparent enough so that a nice bass line would help it along. But I didn't give much thought to being a part of it. Then Creed Taylor, who was with Verve then, called me and said that Antonio Carlos Jobim was coming to town to make a record, and asked if I was available. I was. That started a great relationship between Carlos and I that lasted until he passed. Carlos was pretty unassuming. You would think that this guy who wrote all this great music was in another kind of space. When he came by my house we would talk about songs and changes and gardening, and we'd talk about the same kinds of things when I went to his home in Rio. HOW INVOLVED WERE YOU IN THE IMMENSE LATUM MUSIC SCENE IN NEW YORK IN THE 'eOS, '70S AND "SOS? My experience in the Latin community during those days was primarily as a studio player—I made records with Wes Montgomery and Ray Barretto, and records with Gato Barbieri that Chico O'Farrill arranged. I would go out to hear Tito [Puente] at the Palladium, and I knew Bobby Rodriguez, a great bassist, and Victor Venegas, and I met Patato Valdes and Willie Bobo when I was in Herbie Mann's band for sbc months. IS A DIFFERENT SENSIBILITY INVOLVED PLAYING BASS WITH A CLAVE FEEL VIS-A-VIS PLAYING WITH THE JAZZ SWING FEEL? Absolutely. I don't want to make it sound complicated, but it really is. If you think of a jazz beat as four beats straight up and down, like a picket fence, and if you think of a Latin beat as this picket fence that's leaning over to one side so all the beats are going at 45 degree angles from the straight line, that's a good definition of the different kinds of beat I feel I have to play to make myself comfortable with the rhythms I hear. The jazz community's music is not filled with counter-rhythms; it's a pretty straighta-head 4/4 rhythm, or a 3/4, or a 5/4. But Latin rhythms are held together by the clave beat, and they've got four or five rhythms going all at once—man, they have enough rhythms to last you for a week all in one tune! I'm amazed that they pick the right ones all the time. IT'S A SCIENCE ALMOST. I don't know what it is, but it's deep! ON YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASE, ORFEU. YOU INVITED HOUSTON PERSON AND BILL FRISELL, A PAIR OF TONAL PERSONALITIES ONE MIGHT NOT IMMEDIATELY HAVE THOUGHT OF IN RELATION TO A RON CARTER RECORD. It means that they trust my judgment Now, they're supposed be a bit uncomfortable playing with the band. It's not their music, it's not their band, it's not their tempo, it might not be their keys. But they trust that I'll put them in an environment that lets them play their universe and join it to another one in a way that limits how uncomfortable they become. IS BEING UNCOMFORTABLE IN A MUSICAL SITUATION A GOOD THING? It's necessary. You have to process new information—adding to your library of musical knowledge a certain set of chords, or a rhythm that maybe Steve Kroon brings to the band for the first time, or the guitar sound that BiU FriseU brings—that you had not been introduced to nor expected to hear. That makes you uncomfortable. Once you accept that being uncomfortable is another step toward growing and maturing, you recognize there's a way to incoi-porate—or discard—music you haven't been involved with, and you can learn a great deal. db by ted panken 14 May 2001 DOWNBEAT