Betty Carter - The Audience with Betty Carter

KBCA

The Artist is at the peak of her enormous talent.
A CD worth its weight in gold.
Betty carter has mastered the art of Jazz improvisation and style and is almost without peer on this recording.
A must have for everyone who loves the music. November 30, 2007

Witnesses to a Masterwork

This recording of three live performances of Betty Carter, John Hicks (p.), Kenny Washington (d.) and Curtis Lundy (b), recorded in March of 1979 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, is thought by some to be the finest Betty Carter recording available. Maybe so, maybe not; but what cannot be argued is that Betty Carter was one of the finest jazz vocalists who ever lived, and that this album is a masterwork.

Listening to this reminded me of this: if you want to irritate a singer, put her in an ensemble with a group of instrumentalists, and then address the group as "the musicians and the singers."

You can say that about certain amateur singers, and probably some pros as well; but you could never say that about Betty Carter. She is the most instrumental-like singer ever. Listen to what she does in the stunning 25-minute "Sounds" ("Movin' On.") Throughout, she sounds like an alto sax. And she changes tempos and ideas as fast as Messers. Hicks, Washington and Lundy can throw them out there.

Or listen to how she turns the standards "I Could Write A Book" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" around, and sounds again like a horn. Or listen to how she almost mocks "The Trolley Song" with onomatopoetic sounds.

Two remarkable things about this album: first, although there are oodles of live recordings out there, this is the first one I can remember where the inisde liner consists of a panoramic, close-up photo of the audience, digging and grooving the artist. And isn't that what it's all about? Second, throughout this recording you hear the audience break into laughter. Sometimes, you can figure it's because Ms. Carter hits them with "sounds of surprise." But other times, it has to be because of something she's doing visually. This is a concert I wish I could have seen! Clearly, the people who were there were witnesses to a masterwork--as the expressions on their faces in the photograph make clear.

If you care at all about jazz, you should own this album. I will admit that sometimes Ms. Carter hits notes, and never quite bends them into the chords. But Schnabel hit a lot of wrong notes, too, and was still one of the greatest classical pianists who ever lived. The point is: Not only did Betty Carter take chances, she had fun doing it. About how many artists can you make both claims? RC September 9, 2005

Clear evidence Jazz died in the 1960's

I love Jazz. I love the Blues. I love raw Jazz and Blues singers. I love gutsy experimentation. But, by the time this album came out, Jazz vocals had been developed as far as they were going to go. Betty Carter attempts to innovate in much the same way the Serialists tried to innovate in Classical music--and the result is just about as attractive. This screeching is unlistenable in the 21st century and is only valuable as a historical record of how hard a Jazz vocalist had to try to do anything meaninful after the rise of Rock & Roll. Sad really. June 3, 2004

Sheer freedom of spirit

I love jazz and I love Betty Carter. Jazz is about the immediacy of the creative process. No other music allows so much personal freedom and no singer takes advantage of it like Betty Carter. Her improvisations are far-out, her phrasing almost unbelievably laid back. She soars, swoops and dances, creating bold strokes, often sounding like a sax or trumpet. Her voice isn't what most people think of as beautiful. She's not gonna sing you a pretty song. Go elsewhere for that. This is a jazz singer's singer, an original, a woman who does it HER way. Listen to learn about phrasing, note bending, scatting, and especially about courage, conviction and sheer freedom of spirit. March 18, 2004

Sheer freedom of spirit!

I love jazz and I love Betty Carter. Jazz is about the immediacy of the creative process. No other music allows so much personal freedom and no singer takes advantage of it like Betty Carter. Her improvisations are far-out, her phrasing almost unbelievably laid back. She soars, swoops and dances, creating bold strokes, often sounding like a sax or trumpet. Her voice isn't what most people have learned to think of as beautiful. She's not gonna sing you a pretty song. Go elsewhere for that. This is a jazz singer's singer, an original, a woman who does it HER way. Listen to learn about courage, conviction, joy and sheer freedom of spirit. May 7, 2000

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