Regina Carter (born August 6, 1966) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

violinist. She is the cousin of jazz saxophonist James Carter.

Early life

Carter was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and was one of three children in her family. She began piano lessons at the age of two after playing a melody by ear for her brother's piano teacher. After she deliberately played the wrong ending note at a concert, the piano teacher suggested she take up the violin, indicating that the Suzuki Method could be more conducive to her creativity. Carter's mother enrolled her at the Detroit Community Music School when she was four years old and she began studying the violin. She still studied the piano, as well as tap and ballet.''Biography Today'', p. 31. As a teenager, she played in the youth division of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. While at school, she was able to take master classes from Itzhak Perlman and Yehudi Menuhin. Carter attended

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

with a close friend, jazz singer Carla Cook, who introduced her to

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

. In high school, Carter performed with the Detroit Civic Orchestra and played in a pop-funk group named Brainstorm. In addition to taking violin lessons, she also took viola, oboe, and choir lessons. Carter was studying classical violin at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

when she decided to switch to jazz. She transferred to Oakland University in

Rochester, Michigan Rochester is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census. It is a northern suburb in Metro Detroit located 20 miles north of the city of Detroit. Rochester was the first European settlem ...

where she was a jazz major under the direction of Marvin "Doc" Holladay. She also studied and performed with trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Through Belgrave, Carter was able to meet musicians active in the Detroit jazz scene, including Lyman Woodard. She graduated in 1985. After graduating, she taught strings in Detroit public schools. Needing a change of scene, she moved to Europe and lived in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for two years. While making connections, she worked as a nanny for a German family and taught violin on a U.S. military base.

Career

Carter returned to the U.S. and first came into the spotlight as the violinist for the all female pop-jazz quintet Straight Ahead in 1987,''Biography Today'', p. 33. with Cynthia Dewberry, Gayelynn McKinney, Eileen Orr, and Marion Hayden. In the early to mid-1990s, Branford Marsalis was quoted as saying, "They truly swing." They released a trio of albums on the Atlantic Jazz label including their self-titled debut, ''Body and Soul'', and ''Look Straight Ahead''. Carter went solo before the release of their third album, ''Dance of the Forest Rain''. In 1991 she left the band and moved to New York City. While in New York she was a relative unknown and undertook work accompanying performers such as Aretha Franklin,

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

. She also played with

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

and Oliver Lake, as well as being in the String Trio of New York. Carter worked on the albums ''Intermobility'' (1993), ''Octagon'' (1994), and ''Blues ... ?'' (1996) with the group.''Biography Today'', p. 34. While with the trio, she released her first solo CD, ''Regina Carter'' (1995). Dedicated to her mother, '' Something for Grace'' was released in 1997. She toured with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

for the 1997 production ''

Blood on the Fields ''Blood on the Fields'' is a two-and-a-half-hour jazz oratorio by Wynton Marsalis. It was commissioned by Lincoln Center and treats the history of slavery and its aftermath in the United States of America. The oratorio tells the story of two slav ...

''. She then changed record companies, from Atlantic Records to Verve Music Group, which allowed her more artistic freedom and she released ''Rhythms of the Heart'' (1999). The album ''Motor City Moments'', paying homage to her hometown, was released in 2000. In December 2001, she played a concert in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

using ''

Il Cannone Guarnerius ''Il Cannone Guarnerius'' of 1743 is a violin created by the Italian luthier Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri of Cremona (1698–1744). Il Cannone is also known by the variants ''Il Cannone del Gesù'', the ''Cannon'', often appended with ''Guarneri ...

'', a violin that was made in 1743 and was once owned and favoured by

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...

. The violin was bequeathed to Genoa after Paganini's death in 1840. The name of instrument is given because an "explosive" sound can be achieved. Carter was invited to play after the incidents of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

as a gesture of solidarity. She was both the first jazz musician and African American to play the instrument.''Biography Today'', p. 36. She later recorded ''Paganini: After a Dream'' for

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

. The album featured classical works by Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, and '' Cinema Paradiso'' by Ennio Morricone. ''I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey'', Carter's sixth CD and was conceived as a tribute album to her late mother, which included some of her favorites as well as American standards from the 1920s-1940s. Some songs include "Blue Rose" ( Duke Ellington), " Sentimental Journey" ( Les Brown), "

A-Tisket, A-Tasket "A Tisket A Tasket" is a nursery rhyme first recorded in America in the late nineteenth century. It was used as the basis for a very successful and highly regarded 1938 recording by Ella Fitzgerald, composed by Fitzgerald in conjunction with Al Fe ...

" (

), as well as " I'll Be Seeing You". Active as an educator,

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

, and proponent of the Suzuki method, Carter has given workshops and master classes at numerous institutions. She was Artist in Residence at her alma mater, Oakland University from 2007- 2018. She has also taught at the jazz summer camp at

Stanford Jazz Workshop Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and the annual concert series known as the Stanford Jazz Festival. SJW was founded in 1972 by saxophonist and educator Jim Nadel. Though many of its activities a ...

. In 2018, she was named Artistic Director of the New Jersey Performing Arts All-Female Jazz Camp. During the 2000s, Carter performed at the head of a quintet. In 2005, she performed on Eddie Palmieri's album ''Listen Here!'' which won a Grammy award for best Latin Jazz album. In May 2006, she was toured with Darryl Harper (clarinet), Xavier Davis (piano), Alvester Garnett (drums)(still with her in 2011), and Matt Parish ( Upright bass). Carter was awarded a MacArthur Fellows Program grant, also known as a "genius grant", in September 2006. The award includes a grant of $500,000 over five years, and the committee stated this about Carter:

Regina Carter is a master of improvisational jazz violin. Though her work draws upon a wide range of musical influences – including Motown,
Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...
, Swing,
Bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
,
Folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...
, and
World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
– she has crafted a signature voice and style. ... Carter's performances highlight the often overlooked potential of the jazz violin for its lyric, melodic, and percussive potential. Her early training as a classical musician is reflected in the fluidity, grace, and balance of her performance. Carter's repertoire retains a firm connection with the familiar while venturing in new, unexpected directions. ... Through artistry with an instrument that has been defined predominantly by the classical tradition, Carter is pioneering new possibilities for the violin and for jazz.

In 2018, Carter was a recipient of the Doris Duke Award. In 2023 she has got a NEA Jazz Masters fellowship by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. Carter married

Alvester Garnett Alvester Garnett (born July 17, 1970) is an American jazz drummer who, among many other productions, has appeared on ''Great Performances'' on PBS in a tribute to Kurt Weill. Garnett has played with Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Regina Carter, Cla ...

in Detroit, Michigan, on September 5, 2004. Garnett is the drummer in her band. She has been a resident of Maywood, New Jersey.Steinberg, David
"Jazz and all that"
'' Albuquerque Journal'', July 13, 2012. Accessed May 17, 2016. "'Once I became a jazz musician, I wanted to do a world-music record, but the label felt there was no outlet, if you will, for those types of records. But I still wanted to do it,' Carter said in a phone interview from her home in Maywood, N.J."

Discography

As leader or co-leader *1995 ''Regina Carter'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

) *1997 '' Something for Grace'' (Atlantic) *1999 ''Rhythms of the Heart'' ( Verve) *2000 ''Motor City Moments'' (Verve) *2001 ''

Freefall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

'' (Verve) with Kenny Barron *2003 ''Paganini: After a Dream'' (Verve) *2006 ''I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey'' (Verve) *2010 ''Reverse Thread'' ( E1 Entertainment) *2014 ''Southern Comfort'' ( Masterworks) *2017 ''Ella: Accentuate the Positive'' ( Masterworks) With the String Trio of New York *'' Intermobility'' (

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

, 1992) *'' Octagon'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1992) *'' Blues...?'' (Black Saint, 1993) *''An Outside Job'' (AA, 1994) With Kenny Barron *'' Spirit Song'' (Verve, 1999) With Anthony Davis *''Ellington / Monk / Mingus / Davis'' ( Music & Arts, 1997) With Mark Helias *''Loopin' the Cool'' ( Enja, 1995) With

Elliott Sharp Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer. A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released ...

*''Xenocodex'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

, 1996) With

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

*'' Traveling Miles'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1999) on two tracks With Steve Turre *''Lotus Flower'' (Verve, 1999) With James Carter *'' Chasin' the Gypsy'' (Atlantic, 2000) *'' Caribbean Rhapsody'' (EmArcy, 2011) With Sir Simon Rattle, Luther Henderson,

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

, Lena Horne *''Classic Ellington'' (

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...

, 2000) With

Carmen Lundy Carmen Latretta Lundy (born November 1, 1954) is an American jazz singer. She has been performing for three decades, with a focus on original material. She has been positively compared with Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Lu ...

*''Something to Believe In'' ( Justin Time, 2003) on three tracks With Joe Jackson *'' The Duke'' ( Razor & Tie, 2012) on three tracks *''

Fast Forward To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquially ...

'' ( Caroline, 2015) on four tracks With Eddie Palmieri *''Listen Here!'' (

Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists have ...

, 2005) With Danilo Perez *''Motherland'' (

, 2000) With

*''

'' ( Columbia Records, 1997) With the

Soldier String Quartet The Soldier String Quartet was a string quartet, founded by composer and violinist Dave Soldier, that specialized in performing a fusion of classical and popular music. The quartet proved a training ground for many subsequent experimental classical ...

*''In Four Color'', 2015) *''Inspect for Damaged Gods'', 2004) *''Jazz Standards on Mars'', 1997) with

Robert Dick Robert Dick (January 1811 – 24 December 1866), was a Scottish geologist and botanist. Life He was born at Tullibody, in Clackmannanshire. His father was an officer of excise in nearby Alloa. At the age of thirteen, after receiving a good ...

, Richard Bona With

Dave Soldier David Sulzer (born November 6, 1956) is an American neuroscientist and musician. He is a professor at Columbia University Medical Center in the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology. Sulzer's laboratory investigates the interact ...

*''Chamber Music'', 2006) on one track

References

Notes

* W. Enstice, J. Stockhouse ''Jazzwomen. Conversations with 21 Musicians''. Bloomington 2004. , pp. 65ff. (bio & interview)

External links

Official website

"Regina Carter's Encounter with a 'Cannon'"
from National Public Radio ''Morning Edition'' program, May 14, 2003
Regina Carter: Improvising a Life in Jazz
AllAboutJazz, February 18, 2006
Regina Carter: Translating African Folk To The Jazz Violin
from National Public Radio ''Studio Sessions'', May 21, 2010

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Regina American jazz violinists Cass Technical High School alumni MacArthur Fellows New England Conservatory alumni Oakland University alumni Musicians from Detroit American women jazz musicians 1966 births Living people Verve Records artists African-American jazz musicians People from Maywood, New Jersey Jazz musicians from Michigan 21st-century American violinists 21st-century American women musicians String Trio of New York members African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Atlantic Records artists Okeh Records artists