Legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

NPR

Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2022

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ron Carter is a legend in the world of jazz. His work as a bassist has appeared on thousands of recordings, and has the world records to prove it. In a career that spans over five decades, he's won three Grammys – and he's worked with folks like Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel and A Tribe Called Quest. Ron takes us back to when he first picked up an instrument, the cello; and how he eventually found the bass. We'll also talk about the time he played bass for A Tribe Called Quest on Low End Theory – and how he gave them the business about their foul language.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.
0:14.0	It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.
0:16.0	Let's get into my next guest with a song.
0:18.2	Hit it, Joey.
0:19.2	I said I love the life, lie the love, hangin' along with push and chill.
0:38.2	Possession is the motivation, hanging up the whole damn nation.
0:47.2	That's compared to what by Roberta Flack, the first song on her debut album.
1:03.2	You can hear the bass on there, right?
1:05.2	An upright bass, catchy funky, mesmerizing.
1:08.2	It alternates between foreground and background effortlessly.
1:12.2	It's a masterclass in the instrument taught by my guest Ron Carter, who played the bass on the entire album.
1:19.2	In a career that spans over five decades, Carter has played jazz, classical soul, even hip hop.
1:25.2	He's won three Grammys, worked with Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, Aritha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, a tribe called Quest.
1:33.2	I could go on, but I want to leave room for the interview.
1:37.2	On Tuesday, May 10th, he will celebrate his 85th birthday in style with a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall.
1:44.2	And yes, Ron Carter is still performing.
1:47.2	Let's kick things off with a little bit from Carter's latest record, which is called Skyline.
1:52.2	It's a trio album with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and drummer Jack Dijonette.
1:58.2	This song is called L'Agrimas Negras.
2:18.2	Ron Carter, welcome to Bullseye, so happy to have you on the show.
2:21.2	Thanks for the welcoming and thanks for the sunshine you brought today.
2:25.2	I was listening to your new record and I was wondering, you know, you're 84 years old.
	...

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