Excelent music, 29 Feb 2000
I first heard from this CD in a radio station, just two days before Regina Carter held a concert in Lisbon. I was driving in my car to go to work and I was delighted to discover this fantastic violinist. Regina Carter plays wonderfully and this CD reveals her eclectic taste, from swing to reggae, including latin-american rhythms. She is acompained by excelent musicians, like the pianist Kenny Barron and the singer Cassandra Wilson. If you're looking for contageous music, you will enjoy this CD as much as I did. It's one of those recordings that makes you feel that it's good to be alive. Regina Carter will surely find a place in jazz history along with names like Grapelli, Ponty or Lockwood.
Virtuoso music!, 24 Jul 2002
I discovered Regina Carter when listening to a Cassandra Wilson album. The violin playing was so vibrant I wanted to find out more.
From the first moment of this CD the promise of Carter's virtuoso violin technique was matched by Barron's delightful piano playing. You just wish you were there live to watch two performers clearly revelling in spontaneity.
Whilst much of the music is lyrical Barron and Carter are not bound by familiar forms. This is notably so with the title track.
Be prepared for a stimulating, but not always comfortable, ride!
Nice reissue from Gitanes..., 05 Apr 2006
This is a reissue of Ponty's first LP from 1964, re-released as part of the "Jazz in Paris" series. This is good, as the LP is definitely worth hearing. I come to Ponty as a violinist introduced to jazz violin through classic recordings of Grappelli and Venuti, and so at first found this a bit of a shock. Ponty is much freer than either Grappelli or Venuti, and so can sometimes sound almost dischordant, but the energy and technical exploration definitely make up for it. It is quite interesting to hear his interpretations of violin jazz as opposed to the swing style of Grappelli-Ponty is much more modern in his approach. But definitely good stuff- see also the Grappelli and Rheinhardt LPs in this series too- all superb!
Remarkable instrument provenance; sublime performance., 02 Sep 2003
I can honestly state that I've been waiting many months for this release, having read about the future possibility of its existence when the original performances took place well over a year ago, with recording sessions a year later. And I'm one happy camper now that it's safely here.
Regina Carter is surely one of the finest jazz violinists playing today. (On the distaff side, it's simply no contest. While there's no shortage of distaff Celtic, bluegrass or country fiddlers, Ms. Carter has the jazz sphere all to herself.) But the provenance of this release makes it more than a little special.
The (somewhat) short version of the provenance: Ms. Carter plays Paganini's own personal violin, a 1743 Guarneri del Gesu known as "Il Cannone" ("The Cannon"), the first jazz (and, for that matter, African American) artist to have done so. It is an instrument with gorgeous, lustrous tone, and, given its pedigree, an instrument that is closely guarded by its Genoese museum curators. The idea of Ms. Carter's performing on this rarest of rare instruments came about by way of "a friend of a friend" who thought the matchmaking to be appropriate. The actual amount of logistical legwork and preparation required to pull it off, and the uncertainty of the success of the venture at every stage, are nicely described by her in the booklet notes. Good for her! What a coup!
Most of the works Ms. Carter has chosen are classics: either from the world of classical music, in suitable arrangements for her inimitable style, or are Latin American classics that fit her style quite naturally. The former are all French (well-known works of Ravel, Debussy and Fauré); the arrangements (all nicely tasteful) to some might suggest - or even shout - "crossover" (and all that the genre implies), but Ms. Carter plays them with such panache and soul, taking full advantage of the remarkable instrument provided her, that I can't imagine even the most hardened jazz-head not liking them.
The two Latin American classics are among my (and, I'm sure, others) favorites: the main theme from "Black Orpheus," by Luis Bonfá, and Astor Piazzolla's insinuiatingly langorous tango, "Oblivion" (one of my all-time favorite Piazzolla pieces). Another obviously Latin piece is by the great film score composer Ennio Morricone, from his music for "Cinema Paradiso." The album is rounded out with two works written for the occasion: "Healing in Foreign Lands" by Werner "Vana" Gierig, the pianist in Ms. Carter's combo, and an excerpt from her own "Alexandra," a work commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
All of the works have Ms. Carter backed by her combo of piano, bass and percussion, with a nice addition of cello on the Bonfá track and one of the two Fauré tracks. Some works are discreetly backed by strings, particularly nicely in the Piazzolla and Morricone tracks.
But Ms. Carter is front and center throughout the album. And this classically-trained jazz artist is simply terrific everywhere, blending her classical skills and her hard-swinging jazz abilities, on what must be one of the finest fiddles in the world, to what can only be described as wonderful and gorgeous effect. Every single track on this album is a winner; not a dog amongst them; not even close!
An added bonus: My first listen to this (with several already behind me now as I write) was in my desk-located Discman. I saw that there is a separate band on the outer edge of the CD. Figuring it for a CD-ROM band, I stuck it in my computer CD slot. Sure enough, the disc includes a travelogue of Genoa. Of course, had I taken the trouble to actually READ the jewel box, I would have seen the "Enhanced CD" logo. So there you have it: A nice no-charge extra.
My early prediction: This album will be in every jazz lover's and fiddle fanatic's library in short order. Better get yours now.
Homage to a violin, 17 May 2003
Regina Carter is a performer who does not lend herself to simple categorisation. At times capable of great verve, at others more lyrical, but not afraid of the avant garde (as evidenced by tracks such as Freefall on the eponymous album with Kenny Barron).
Her mood on this album is lyrical. The star is a famous violin, built in 1743, owned by Paganini.
If you like grit, forget this album. The tracks, borrowed from classical sources, are given a light jazz treatment designed to capture the richness of the instrument's tone.
In less sensitive hands the result could have been bland. On this occasion, the outcome is breath-taking musicality that will appeal to listeners with a wide spectrum of tastes. It just helps one realise how good a violin can sound.
