KeJuan Carter

Channeling the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Kurt Elling, KeJuan Carter is preparing to bring the traditional sound of jazz to the 21st century. Doubling as both a vocalist and arranger, he has designed a style all his own while using the music of the Great American Songbook.

From 2003-2006, Carter studied jazz and voice with some of the biggest names in the business at the famed New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in New York City, NY. Under the tutledge of the great trumpeters Jimmy Owens and Cecil Bridgewater, drummer Chico Hamilton, and vocalists Kate Baker, Janet Lawson, Amy London, and Kammal Scott, Carter was able to hone his talents as a vocalist, bandleader, and arranger.

In 2006, he moved back to his hometown of Chicago, IL to complete his degree at Columbia College Chicago. There he expanded his repertoire and opened his talents up to new genres like Pop, R&B, and Rock music. With the help of many members from the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Carter reconnected to his jazz roots and used what he had learned to be an effective leader and respected vocalist.

Carter has performed with some of the greatest musicians in the world including Jon Faddis, Frank Foster, Fred Wesley, Christian Scott, Billy Childs, Von Freeman, Mark Murphy, and David "Fathead" Newman. Most notably, he was seen performing on the Young Lions’ Stage at the 2009 Chicago Jazz Festival.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Music Degree, Carter has begun teaching at his alma mater, Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he is currently the Director of Vocal Jazz Ensembles. He has also begun to put together a group of his own; a big band which will include young jazz musicians from the area and will be a source of inspiration to other young people. KeJuan Carter is truly an artist to watch out for in the very near future.

Tags