Meet Joe Carter

[Ron Thorne]

Our resident Brazilian jazz guitarist is open to questions and comments, but is less than confident that anyone will be interested in what he has to say.

" ... I'm not sure you'll actually find anybody who's interested in what I have to say." - Joe Carter

Let's prove him wrong!

[Ron Thorne]

I'll break the ice and ask Joe a couple of questions.

Joe, who is in your current working group? Are you still working mostly in duo and trio settings?

Do you have plans for a new recording in the near future? If so, can you tell us anything about it?

[Joe C.]

Hi Ron & Jazz Talk community:

It's great to be here on Jazz Talk.

Currently I continue to mix it up as far as settings and musicians I perform with (something I learned from Lee Konitz) but when all the stars line up and schedules coincide, the main performing group is myself plus Leco Reis on bass and Ze Mauricio on percussion. Both Leco and Ze are coming from the "less is more" school of playing and their minimalist playing helps us achieve the trio sound I enjoy: one where all the instruments have an equal, democratic voice in the overall sound. I never liked listening to those guitar or piano trios where it's GUITAR plus bass & drums. We did a concert recently and we didn't want to stop playing. They needed a hook to get us off the stage.

A few months ago I released my latest CD, Both Sides of the Equator (available at an online store near you) that features David Fink on bass and Ze Mauricio on percussion. This serves as my new release at the moment. The title comes from the fact that the song selections are a mix of tunes from Brazil plus some Jazz standards plus a few originals thrown in. It was nice to go back to my roots and play some Jazz tunes, especially with these musicians. This is how I started out years ago: playing Jazz standards in trio and duo settings. The funny thing is once the recording was done, I realized I had unconsciously picked Jazz tunes that could be associated with one of my heros: Bill Evans and his vibe seemed to run throughout the recording. The Jazz tunes are Young & Foolish, Waltz For Debby, I've Never Been in Love Before and Blame It On My Youth. The Brazilian tunes are Nos E O Mar, Jobim's waltz, Mojave, Milton Nascimento's Ponta de Areia (done as a baiao, a Northeast rhythm), Valse de Euridice, two Brazilian standards, Batida Diferente and Nada Como Ter Amor and a very obscure tune recorded by another hero of mine: the female Brazilian guitarist Rosinha da Valenca. The song is Tema Do Boneco de Palha and it mixes up the partido alto rhythm with samba. My originals are a samba entitled Viktor with a K (written for my oldest son) and Variations On a Theme by Bill Evans, which uses Bill's tune, Peace Piece, as a springboard for improvisation. The CD is all acoustic. Amps were not allowed.

So, there you have it. More information about Joe Carter than anyone really needs to know

Seriously, I look forward to fielding any questions you might have about violao (nylon string guitar), Brazilian music, Jazz music, duo/ trio/ quartet/ quintet playing, gear, the meaning of Life, etc.

Joe C.

[Ron Thorne]

Joe, thanks so much for your response. It's great to have you on board with us to share your insights and perspectives.

I'm with you with respect to the democratic aspect of musical groups vs. dominant instruments/musicians. This afternoon, I listened to samples of each tune on your latest release, and am going to add it to our collection. The group interaction seems very comfortable and organic, and some of my favorite tunes are included, so ...

Even though I'm a drummer/percussionist, I would be interested to learn more about your favorite violao(s) (nylon string guitar) when you have time. A photo would be cool, too.

Thanks!

[bluenoter]