egroj world: James Carter • Present Tense

Saturday, March 16, 2024

James Carter • Present Tense

Review by Thom Jurek
Present Tense was born out of two very specific desires. First, saxophonist James Carter wanted a precise recorded portrait of where he was at as a musician, aesthetically and technically. Second was producer Michael Cuscuna's dead-on assertion that Carter, for all his instrumental and aesthetic virtuosity, had never been represented well on tape. Carter's inability to resist overdoing it on virtually everything he records (ten-minute solos in standards, etc.) makes that point inarguable. Cuscuna proves to be the perfect producer -- as both ally and foil -- and reins Carter in to benefit the recording as a whole. The band on Present Tense is solid: the young trumpeter and fellow Detroiter Dwight Adams, pianist D.D. Jackson, bassist James Genus, and drummer Victor Lewis round out the quintet, with percussionist Eli Fountain and guitarist Rodney Jones playing on three cuts each. The program is wide-ranging and eclectic, but it locks. It offers a portrait of Carter as an exciting traditionalist who can stretch arrangements and previous interpretations to the breaking point, without simply making them egotistical statements about him as a soloist.

Dave Burns "Rapid Shave" opens the set on a stomping, storming, Blue Note-style hard bop workout with Carter's tenor and Adams' trumpet playing the 24-bar jump blues with joyous abandon. Adams' comps push the fat harmonic center straight to the front. Genus and Lewis offer sprightly tempos and interesting rhythmic accents. Adams proves he can hang with the big fellows nicely in his own solo. Carter's "Bro. Dolphy" is one of the most compelling and emotionally satisfying tunes on the set, with Carter on bass clarinet. It opens as an angular, slightly dissonant harmonic sprint but gives way to some of the most lyric balladry Carter has ever composed; one can hear his love of Billie Holiday in the melody even as he evokes Dolphy's own love of the blues and simpler melodies. But this isn't enough by a long shot, and before long the ballad gives way to a stomping, Mingus-style workout, the very kind that showcased Dolphy's artistry as both a soloist and arranger.

Django Reinhardt's ballad, "Pour Que Ma Vie Demeure," with Carter on soprano, is lovely. It lowers the intensity and features a fine solo by Genus. Other standouts include Dodo Marmarosa's "Dodo's Bounce," with Carter on flute and Adams playing a muted trumpet. Its elegant, cool swing is balanced by Jones' semi-percussive strum that adds a weight to the rhythm section. Jones also appears on the Carter original "Bossa J.C." Fountain's congas shimmer in this samba, which contains a post-bop force inspired by Ray Barretto's tough Latin jazz sensibility and the lyricism of Tom Jobim. Carter's solo seeks the places where the tune's melody breaks out, and succeeds in finding it. Jones follows the roll of rhythms in his single-string and chord voicings as he alternates between George Benson-esque funk and Baden Powell's elegant textural statements. It works without a hitch. Whether it's in the sprinting bop pyrotechnics of Gigi Gryce's "Hymn of the Orient," or the off minor tropical blues of Jimmy Jones' "Shadowy Sands," or the balladry of the standard "Tenderly," Present Tense showcases Carter at his most disciplined and ambitious. Even his originals -- check "Sussa Nita" -- use the tradition in ways he hasn't employed before. This may be Carter's finest album because of its insistence on the balance between restraint and adventure. Carter placed himself in Cuscuna's expert hands and it has paid off handsomely.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/present-tense-mw0000785680

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Reseña de Thom Jurek
El tiempo presente nació de dos deseos muy específicos. En primer lugar, el saxofonista James Carter quería un retrato grabado preciso de dónde se encontraba como músico, estética y técnicamente. En segundo lugar, fue la afirmación categórica del productor Michael Cuscuna de que Carter, a pesar de todo su virtuosismo instrumental y estético, nunca había sido bien representado en una cinta. La incapacidad de Carter para resistirse a exagerar en prácticamente todo lo que graba (solos de diez minutos en estándares, etc.) hace que ese punto sea indiscutible. Cuscuna demuestra ser el productor perfecto, tanto como aliado como contrapeso, y reine a Carter para beneficiar la grabación en su conjunto. La banda en Tiempo Presente es sólida: el joven trompetista y compañero de Detroit Dwight Adams, el pianista D. D. Jackson, el bajista James Genus y el baterista Victor Lewis completan el quinteto, con el percusionista Eli Fountain y el guitarrista Rodney Jones tocando en tres cortes cada uno. El programa es amplio y ecléctico, pero se bloquea. Ofrece un retrato de Carter como un tradicionalista emocionante que puede estirar los arreglos y las interpretaciones previas hasta el punto de ruptura, sin simplemente hacer declaraciones egoístas sobre él como solista.

Dave Burns "Rapid Shave" abre el set con un entrenamiento de hard bop al estilo Blue Note pisoteando, asaltando, con el tenor de Carter y la trompeta de Adams tocando los blues de salto de 24 compases con alegre abandono. Las composiciones de Adams empujan el gordo centro armónico directamente al frente. Genus y Lewis ofrecen tempos vivaces y acentos rítmicos interesantes. Adams demuestra que puede pasar el rato con los big fellows muy bien en su propio solo. El "hermano. Dolphy " es una de las melodías más convincentes y emocionalmente satisfactorias del set, con Carter en el clarinete bajo. Se abre como un sprint armónico angular y ligeramente disonante, pero da paso a algunas de las baladas más líricas que Carter haya compuesto jamás; uno puede escuchar su amor por Billie Holiday en la melodía, incluso cuando evoca el amor de Dolphy por el blues y las melodías más simples. Pero esto no es suficiente por mucho, y en poco tiempo la balada da paso a un entrenamiento pisoteante al estilo Mingus, del mismo tipo que mostró el arte de Dolphy como solista y arreglista.

La balada de Django Reinhardt, "Pour Que Ma Vie Demeure", con Carter en soprano, es encantadora. Disminuye la intensidad y presenta un buen solo por género. Otros destacados incluyen "Dodo's Bounce" de Dodo Marmarosa, con Carter en la flauta y Adams tocando una trompeta apagada. Su swing elegante y fresco se equilibra con el rasgueo semipercusivo de Jones que agrega peso a la sección rítmica. Jones también aparece en las congas shimmer de Carter original "Bossa J.C." Fountain en esta samba, que contiene una fuerza post-bop inspirada en la dura sensibilidad del jazz latino de Ray Barretto y el lirismo de Tom Jobim. El solo de Carter busca los lugares donde estalla la melodía de la melodía y logra encontrarla. Jones sigue el ritmo de los ritmos en sus voces de una sola cuerda y acordes mientras alterna entre el funk al estilo de George Benson y las elegantes declaraciones texturales de Baden Powell. Funciona sin problemas. Ya sea en la pirotecnia bop de Gigi Gryce "Hymn of the Orient", o en el blues tropical apagado y menor de Jimmy Jones "Shadowy Sands", o en la balada de the standard "Tenderly", Present Tense muestra a Carter en su forma más disciplinada y ambiciosa. Incluso sus originales, como "Sussa Nita", usan la tradición de una manera que no había empleado antes. Este puede ser el mejor álbum de Carter debido a su insistencia en el equilibrio entre moderación y aventura. Carter se puso en las manos expertas de Cuscuna y ha valido la pena.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/present-tense-mw0000785680

jamescarterlive.com ...

Tracks:
1 - Rapid Shave
Written-By – Dave Burns 7:28
2 - Bro. Dolphy    7:13
3 - Pour Que Ma Vie Demeure
Written-By – Django Reinhardt 5:05
4 - Sussa Nita    6:00
5 - Song Of Delilah
Written By – Victor Young - Jay Livingston - Ray Evans
Written-By – Jay Livingston - Ray Evans*, Victor Young 5:11
6 - Dodo's Bounce
Written-By – Dodo Marmarosa 6:00
7 - Shadowy Sands
Written-By – Jimmy Jones (3) 8:28
8 - Hymn Of The Orient
Written-By – Gigi Gryce 4:23
9 - Bossa J.C.    4:41
10 - Tenderly
Written By – Walter Gross - Jack Lawrence
Written-By – Jack Lawrence (2), Walter Gross 8:12

Credits:
    Artwork By [Art Direction] – Fanny Gotschall, Pat Barry
    Artwork By [Design] – Rebecca Meek
    Bass – James Genus
    Congas, Percussion – Eli Fountain
    Drums – Victor Lewis
    Engineer [Assistant] – Brian Montgomery, Rick Kwan
    Flute, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – James Carter (3)
    Guitar – Rodney Jones (tracks: 4, 6, 9)
    Mastered By – Mark Wilder
    Photography By – Jimmy Katz
    Piano – D.D. Jackson
    Producer – Michael Cuscuna
    Recorded By, Mixed By – Jim Anderson
    Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Dwight Adams
    Written-By – James Carter (3) (tracks: 2, 4, 9)

Recorded on September 21-23, 2007 at Avatar Studios, New York City

Label:    EmArcy – 1758449
Released:    2008
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Modal
https://www.discogs.com/release/13032672-James-Carter-Present-Tense