James Carter is the
Arturo Sandoval of the reeds, a remarkable virtuoso who can seemingly do anything he wants on his horns. It is just a matter of passing time and accomplishments accumulating before
Carter is thought of as one of the all-time greats. This particular CD,
In Carterian Fashion, differs from his earlier ones in that
Carter (who switches between tenor, soprano and baritone sax, and bass clarinet) is joined by one of three organists (
Henry Butler,
Cyrus Chestnut and his regular pianist
Craig Taborn) instead of piano, which of course changes the sound of the ensembles. However, only a few of the songs come across as
Jimmy Smith-style soul-jazz.
Carter stretches from bluesy tunes to
Don Byas' swinging mid-'40s romp "Don's Idea," to some avant-garde explorations, and a few strong hints at
Rahsaan Roland Kirk (particularly on the soprano feature "Trouble in the World") and
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Trumpeter
Dwight Adams sounds fine during his four appearances, particularly when trading off with
Carter on "Don's Idea," and altoist
Cassius Richmond (who is on three of the trumpet pieces) is also excellent. However, the dominant voice throughout is
James Carter's, who in general is a little more restrained, which makes his fiery explosions and colorful tonal distortions really stand out. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow