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Regina Carter

Regina Carter is an NEA Jazz Master

Regina Carter combines exciting technical proficiency and improvisation with an aggressive approach to her instrument, adding multicultural influence. Her playing is melodic, yet percussive. "People are only used to hearing violin in European classical music or country music," says Carter, "and so we get stuck in this idea that this is what a violin is supposed to do. And it's such a precious instrument and such a delicate instrument... That's what people think: it's such a small, delicate little thing. Even sometimes I play with classical players in a quartet and part of the piece might call to use the back of the bow, the wood, to hit on the string to get a percussive effect or to get a different sound, and they'll say, 'I'm not going to bang on my instrument like that. This violin cost way too much money.'They don't think of it as another way of playing the instrument. They don't really want to go beyond what we think of; so even the musicians themselves sometimes are stuck into those old ways of thinking."

*"I think a lot of people look at the violin and they get a little nervous," Carter notes. "They have a stereotype of what the violin is - very high, kind of shrill-sounding with long notes, and a lot of vibrato. It doesn't have to be that at all, it can be a very fiery persuasive instrument and that's how I like to use it. I don't think of the music trying to fit the violin," she continues, "or how to make the violin work in this music. For me, it just does. I'm not playing it as a violin. Instead of being so melodic, which I can be, I tend to use the instrument in more of a rhythmic way, using vamp rhythms or a lot of syncopated rhythms, approaching it more like a horn player does. So, I don't feel that I have a lot of limitations - I feel like I can do anything."

"I followed a more non-traditional route. I initially learned by ear, then later learned to read, then learned theory. I think that kind of experience has freed my playing up a lot more, so I'm not stuck on the page. A lot of people are afraid not to have a piece of music in front of them. "I knew I wanted to play improvised music after I heard a record by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Ever since then, I've been dreaming of my first solo project."

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Album Review

Claudia Acuna: Duo

Read "Duo" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Alcuni classici della canzone popolare latina costituiscono il nucleo del sesto disco da leader di Claudia Acuña. In questa celebrazione la cantante cilena ha coinvolto sette protagonisti del jazz contemporaneo in altrettante esecuzioni in duo caratterizzate da palpitante relazione con la loro identità tradizionale. I due brani conclusivi sono cantati in inglese e la vedono piena protagonista: “Cristal Silence" di Chick Corea è cantato a cappella; “YO" è una sua composizione originale eseguita con un sottofondo percussivo. ...

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Album Review

Nate Smith: Kinfolk 2: See The Birds

Read "Kinfolk 2: See The Birds" reviewed by Mark Corroto


If there were brick & mortar establishments called record stores today, one could imagine the challenge Nate Smith's Kinfolk projects would pose for an employee trying to file his latest releases. Those familiar with the drummer's work in the bands of Chris Potter, Dave Holland, or Alex Sipiagin might place the discs in the jazz section, but then again he's worked with the jazz/pop/soul singers José James and Norah Jones and he heads up the funk/soul band The Fearless Flyers. ...

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Album Review

Thana Alexa: ONA

Read "ONA" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Ci giunge con un po' di ritardo questo secondo disco della talentuosa vocalist e compositrice Thana Alexa, ma va assolutamente considerato. Anche questo, come già il debutto Ode to Heroes, è un tributo: dalle figure musicali che l'hanno influenzata siamo passati a una celebrazione del genere femminile e al ruolo—spesso sottovalutato—che svolgono nel mondo. Nata a New York da famiglia croata, Thana è tornata nell'infanzia in Croazia dov'è rimasta per completare i suoi studi. Successivamente si è ...

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Album Review

Thana Alexa: ONA

Read "ONA" reviewed by Doug Collette


A departure from Thana Alexa's first album Ode to Heroes (Harmonia Mundi/Jazz Village, 2015), ONA is also rooted in jazz, but it showcases Alexa's use of her voice as both a lyrical and experimental instrument. Commencing immediately on the title tune, this mostly original material features arrangements in various combinations of atmospheric, electronic soundscapes and exotic instrumental textures, complementing a voice which enchants as often through its feather-light air as its full-throated tones. Co-produced with master drummer Antonio Sanchez--with whom ...

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Album Review

Thana Alexa: ONA

Read "ONA" reviewed by Geno Thackara


Thana Alexa's voice contains a world of sound, and that is without even mentioning the globe-spanning musical trappings which surround it. Hearing her is like watching a thunderstorm or maybe a wild hawk in flight. She doesn't just sing but uses her voice as an expressive precision instrument, in much the same way all the tones and electronics here are sculpted into an unclassifiably genre-defying whole. Her rich contralto can also be honey-smooth and soothing in the (relatively) rare calm ...

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Album Review

Regina Carter: Southern Confort

Read "Southern Confort" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


Alla talentuosa violinista statunitense non si può certo negare una volatile progettualità, sempre votata alla esplorazione di diverse tradizioni musicali. Il suo caleidoscopio sonoro ingloba in questo CD sia le matrici afroamericane (blues) che bianche (country, cajun, melodie folk irlandesi) per dar luogo ad un progetto a dir poco irrisolto. Piccolo capolavoro di intrigante rielaborazione della matrice blues, la seconda traccia dà lustro ad un disco deludente. Mancano in esso le componenti dionisiache del jazz, che invece cedono il passo ...

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Album Review

Regina Carter: Southern Comfort

Read "Southern Comfort" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Violinist Regina Carter's debut for Sony Masterworks finds her knee-deep in history once again. Carter has become something of a genre-blind and stylistically-inclusive musicologist, marrying her violin, family history and more to music of various shapes and origins. She paid tribute to the dark lord of the violin on Paganini: After A Dream (Verve, 2003), explored the songs that her mother loved on I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey (Verve, 2006), and bridged the gap between ...

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Education

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opens Registration For The Annual Geri Allen Jazz Summer Camp Led By Regina Carter

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opens Registration For The Annual Geri Allen Jazz Summer Camp Led By Regina Carter

Source: AMT Public Relations

Four workshops take place July 11 & 14 and August 18 & 22 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. EST. How: Via Zoom (link provided upon registration) Students ages 14-26 who identify as female or non-binary Register: $200 per workshop or $600 for all four workshops. Registration is required and financial aid is available. Registration closes July 11. For more information, visit NJPAC.org or call 973.353.7058. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the state’s anchor cultural institution, today announced that its seventh ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Iva Bittová & Hamid Drake, and more

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Iva Bittová & Hamid Drake, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Wondering what's happening this week in live jazz and creative music in St. Louis? Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, January 18 Arguably the premier jazz violinist working today, Regina Carter (pictured, top left) opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Like many a conservatory trained musician, Carter certainly has fluid technique, but what really sets her apart from other equally proficient players are her expressive abilities as an improvisor, her feeling for blues and ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Jeff Beck, STL Free Jazz Collective, and more

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Jeff Beck, STL Free Jazz Collective, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

View more events at stlouis.jazznearyou.com. This week's calendar of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis is book-ended by two performers - perhaps the most famous living jazz violinist, and a legendary rock guitarist—who both have successfully stretched the boundaries of their respective musical genres. In between, there are a number of noteworthy shows from local musicians in styles ranging from traditional jazz to free improv. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, May 13 Violinist Regina Carter returns to ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Today, let's check out some videos featuring violinist Regina Carter, who will be back in St. Louis next week to play Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16 at Jazz at the Bistro. Carter will be performing music from her album Southern Comfort, which was released early in 2014, not long after the last time she played the Bistro, backed by a straight-ahead piano trio, in November 2013. The Detroit native has said that Southern Comfort continues a process she ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Regina Carter, a Trio of Big Bands, a Benefit for Tony Simmons, and More

Jazz This Week: Regina Carter, a Trio of Big Bands, a Benefit for Tony Simmons, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's notable jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis include the return of the premier violinist in jazz; concerts by three different local big bands; and more. Let's go to the highlights... The violinist in question is, as you might suspect,  Regina Carter, who opens a four-night engagement this evening continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Carter (pictured) was here last in 2010, touring with a band that included accordion and kora players in support of ...

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Performance / Tour

The Iridium Hosts Jim Weider & Garth Hudson, Regina Carter And More In February

The Iridium Hosts Jim Weider & Garth Hudson, Regina Carter And More In February

Source: Michael Ricci

Leading Manhattan music destination The Iridium has booked an exciting and eclectic lineup this February, featuring a mix of guitar heroes and jazz innovators. In addition to the club's trademark Les Paul Mondays series-which features the late guitar giant's trio with a different special guest each week-The Iridium will host Telecaster master Jim Weider with The Band's Garth Hudson, groundbreaking violinist Regina Carter, session wiz Danny Kortchmar, and many more. Here's just a few of the highlights: Feb 4-6—Regina Carter's ...

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Performance / Tour

Reverse Thread: A Glorious Reprise

Reverse Thread: A Glorious Reprise

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter

Last March, Regina Carter brought her latest musical journey to Ted Mann Concert Hall. Supported by a MacArthur “Genius" Grant, the ever-curious violinist sought to bring the music of the African Diaspora into the 21st century, blending folk traditions and contemporary global rhythms and communicating through an eclectic array of instruments, including the 21-string Kora and accordion. Much of American music owes at least some of its foundation to African art forms, and the sounds of Carter's Reverse Thread project ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Regina Carter's Reverse Thread, Banu Gibson, Dave Pietro, Christopher McBride, and More

Jazz This Week: Regina Carter's Reverse Thread, Banu Gibson, Dave Pietro, Christopher McBride, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's jazz and creative music offerings in St. Louis would seem to have something of a nostalgic bent, with several shows recalling early New Orleans or Swing Era jazz, and one headliner who's reaching all the way back to the music's African roots. However, there also are some more modern sounds happening around town; you just have to know where to look. So, let's go to the highlights: Tonight, violinist Regina Carter (pictured) opens a four-night stand at Jazz ...

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Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Regina Carter's Reverse Thread

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Regina Carter's Reverse Thread

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Regina Carter's latest project Reverse Thread represents something of a departure for the Detroit-born jazz violinist. With the unusual front line instrumentation of Carter's violin; an accordion, played by either Gary Versace or Will Holshouser; and a kora, a 21-string West African harp/lute played by Yacouba Sissoko; Reverse Thread has a timbral palette that's very different from the typical jazz group. Their material is based on folk traditions from around the world, not ...

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Festival

4th Annual New Jersey Blues & Jazz Festival

4th Annual New Jersey Blues & Jazz Festival

Source: Daniel Grossman

State Theatre presents the annual New Jersey Blues & Jazz Festival at the Backstage Jazz Club featuring: Sugar Blue: Thursday, September 23 at 8pm Eddie Palmieri: Friday, September 24 at 8pm & 10pm Maria Muldaur: Saturday, September 25 at 8pm & 10pm Regina Carter's “Reverse Thread": Sunday, September 26 at 11:30am Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469) New Brunswick, NJ (August 25, 2010)—The State Theatre presents the annual return of the New Jersey Blues & Jazz ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Duo

Ropeadope
2022

buy

Kinfolk 2: See The...

Edition Records
2021

buy

ONA

Self Produced
2020

buy

Lagos Pepper Soup

Self Produced
2020

buy

Southern Comfort

Sony Music
2014

buy

Southern Confort

Sony Music
2014

buy

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