1) Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1969, James Carter began playing saxophone at age 11, first recorded with a Detroit student ensemble in 1986 and, by 1991, had recorded with legendary trumpeter Lester Bowie on The Organizer and contributed to the 1991 collection The Tough Young Tenors. Mastering a family of reed instruments, from sopranino to contrabass saxophones to contrabass and bass clarinets, James Carter mesmerized the jazz world after arriving in New York City in 1988 to play under the auspices of Lester Bowie.
His debut recording, JC On The Set, released in Japan when Carter was a mere 23 years old, heralded the arrival of a significant and powerful new musical force in jazz. Recorded at the same session as his debut, Carter's next release, Jurassic Classics (1994), found him entering the Top Jazz Albums chart for the first time. It was a feat to be echoed with four of Carter's subsequent releases: The Real Quiet Storm (1995), Conversin' With The Elders (1996), In Carterian Fashion (1998), and Chasin' The Gypsy (2000).
Gardenias For Lady Day is the first James Carter collection since the simultaneous release, in June 2000, of Layin' In The Cut, an electric jazz/funk collective jam session, and Chasin' The Gypsy, an homage to Django Reinhardt. In a review of those two albums, Rolling Stone (August 3, 2000) asserted that "....saxophonist James Carter is as near as jazz gets nowadays to a Young Turk -- not some ironically Avant-post-rock experimentalist but a cocky scene stealer with...a knack for coming up with noticeable records."
Carter has performed, either live or in the studio, with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the late Julius Hemphill, Ronald Shannon Jackson, the Charles Mingus Big Band, soprano Kathleen Battle, Aretha Franklin, David Murray, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Ginger Baker, Sonny Rollins, and many others. He appeared in the 1994 PBS telecast of "Live At Lincoln Center" and portrayed saxophonist Ben Webster in Robert Altman's 1996 film, "Kansas City."
James Carter recently topped Downbeat's annual Critics Poll in the Baritone Saxophone category for the third year in a row.
2) James Carter is one of the most promising UK talents to emerge in the electronic music scene. Receiving support from industry heavyweights, James has taken the world by storm with his originals, remixes and mixtapes. His top-class records are being played not only on streaming platforms but also at festivals and radio stations all over the world.
Since his first original record in 2017, the London-based producer and DJ has amassed more than 35 million streams on Spotify. Staying true to his roots, James continues to release unique remixes, including official remixes for the likes of Rihanna, James Arthur, Austin Mahone & many more. His 2018 single 'Hands in the Fire' went viral on TikTok and has been viewed more than 100 million times on the short-video platform.
'Round Midnight
James Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The lyrics to James Carter's "Round Midnight" depict the despair of a man who can't shake off the memories of his lost love, which begin to haunt him every night around midnight when he is left alone with his thoughts. He reminisces about how they used to be together and feels heartbroken when he realizes that she is no longer with him. The song's melancholic lyrics are highlighted by the heart-rending melody, and the saxophone playing of James Carter helps to bring to life the woeful story of the loneliest hours of the night.
The singer in the song is suffering from insomnia, a common condition that makes people feel miserable and sad at night. As he grapples with his emotions, he tries to convince himself that he is alright until nightfall. However, when the memories of his lost love begin to flood his thoughts, he feels overwhelmed and can't seem to shake it off. He is consumed by her absence, feeling that his life is incomplete without her. The lyrics "Let our hearts take wings 'round midnight" and "Let the angels sing for your returning" express the hope that love can return to him and fill the emptiness in his heart.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The night starts to reveal its true nature
'Round midnight, midnight
At midnight, the night is in full swing
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I manage to keep myself together, but as the night sets in, I start to fall apart
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
As I sit down to eat, I'm overwhelmed with sorrow
But it really gets bad
As the night wears on, my emotions intensify
'Round midnight
At midnight, my sadness reaches its peak
Memories always start 'round midnight
My mind always begins to drift into the past at midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I can't bear to relive those memories
When my heart is still with you
When my heart still longs for you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Midnight is aware of my heartache
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to reconcile after a fight
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does it indicate that our relationship is coming to an end?
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
I miss you, and recently it seems to be getting worse
You're out of my heart
You're no longer on my mind
And I'm out of my mind
I'm losing my grip on reality
Let our hearts take wings'
Let's allow our love to flourish
'Round midnight, midnight
At midnight, when our hearts are most vulnerable
Let the angels sing
Let the heavenly creatures celebrate our love
For your returning
As we come back together
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our relationship is secure and stable
And old midnight comes around
When midnight creeps up on us again
Feelin' sad
Still struggling with sadness
Really gets bad
My sadness reaches extreme levels
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The cycle of heartache and pain repeats itself again and again
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wyndhl eodumegwu
SpatialBlues ;
In 1974 in London, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the blind genius, held a note for 2hrs 21 sec. - that's a record unmatched.
Let's have a Circular Breathing competition with All the "breathers".
Sydney Bechet and King Curtis were champions of this (almost-meaningless) feat - musically speaking.
Not unlike the case with a geometric point, one's holding a single note endlessly has scarcely any lyrical or musical value.
Maybe playing an entire tune, using Circular Breathing, does have merit.
What about holding the lowest Bb endlessly? That
will be class - without a doubt.
Let's ask Gerald Albright!
He does it at times.
wyndhl eodumegwu
Ethan Green:
One of the best baritones of Organic Real Jazz is James Carter.
Oh, how he has so passionately and emotionally tamed the sometimes hard-to-handle "old man"!
The "young lion" roars sweetly as he soars gently into the hearts of even the most savage beasts.
James Carter and Ballads:
#1 on all saxophones and clarinets in Organic Real Jazz.
Flutes are underserved by James Carter; that which precludes his being also #1 in Organic Real Jazz on flutes.
That credit remains with Hubert Laws for his Organic Real Jazz European Classicism; James Newton holds firmly for his Organic Real Jazz African [American] Classicism.
Richard Volet
This is brilliant. Circular breathing aside, his playing resembles Rahsaan's very much. He has the same respect for tradition blended with modernity, the great instrumental skill (on multiple instruments), and the unfailing lyrical, swinging feel.
Love Supreme
I was given this CD as a housewarming gift back in 2000. Love this album.
Wyndhl
Circular Breathing on baritone saxophone!
Oh, how James speaks so politely to the "grandfather" that he tames with his dexterity, speed and tonal quality!
1# living multi-saxophonist...
Connor Teige
So beautiful, mere words can't describe how I feel about this song. Simply blissful in ever way. Keep jazzin'
Massimiliano Picuno
Che meraviglia, poesia e suono di una profondità e intimità uniche
Michael McDermott
It does get better... and goes from there, truly amazing.
Saxophon ESW
Great song - Great Album
SpatialBlues
It's a technique called circular breathing. That's how Kenny G (blah) has a Guinness world record for holding a note for like 45 minutes or something.
Claudia de Magalhães
Right ! Rahsaan Roland Kirk was another "master" in the Circular Breathing techique. In the theme "Saxophone Concerto" he does it for 20 minutes, without any interruption (but, contrarily to Kenny G, Kirk do it loudly, and playing several notes in high speed, quite intensively).
wyndhl eodumegwu
SpatialBlues ;
In 1974 in London, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the blind genius, held a note for 2hrs 21 sec. - that's a record unmatched.
Let's have a Circular Breathing competition with All the "breathers".
Sydney Bechet and King Curtis were champions of this (almost-meaningless) feat - musically speaking.
Not unlike the case with a geometric point, one's holding a single note endlessly has scarcely any lyrical or musical value.
Maybe playing an entire tune, using Circular Breathing, does have merit.
What about holding the lowest Bb endlessly? That
will be class - without a doubt.
Let's ask Gerald Albright!
He does it at times.