LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Ron Carter (b.1937) is the preeminent bassist of the past 40 years. He's also a composer of memorable melodies (eight of the 11 here are his), a skillful arranger, a fine cellist, and, as one will glean from this album, a master of the piccolo bass. The smaller bass violin is spotlighted throughout as a solo voice, with a stellar ensemble augmented by a Carter-arranged cello quartet present for the first six numbers. Through overdubbing, Carter's more customary instrument provides the characteristically supple walking lines. The rich sonorities of the cellos enhance performances like the rock-ballad title track, the romantic "A Quiet Place," which evinces Carter's affinity for the European/Romantic classical tradition, and a liltingly lovely "Someday My Prince Will Come." The second LP contained herein spotlights Carter's working foursome of the time, for which he gathered a young and responsive, if little known, rhythm section. The mood is warmly pensive, the original tunes inviting, the arrangements intricate. And their "'Round Midnight" is a darkly beautiful gem. Song for You, El Ojo de Dios, A Quiet Place, Good Time, Someday My Prince Will Come, N.O. Blues, Parfait, New Waltz; Receipt, Please; Blues for D.P., 'Round Midnight with Kenny Barron, Leon Pendarvis, Jay Berliner, Jack DeJohnette, Ralph MacDonald, Kermit Moore, Charles McCracken, John Abramowitz, Richard Locker, Ted Lo, Leon Maleson, Wilby Fletcher