Carter was born in Ferndale, Michigan. He started to play cello at the age of 10 (1947), but when his family moved to Detroit, he ran into difficulties regarding the racial stereotyping of classical musicians and instead moved to bass. He attended the historic Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and, later, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he played in its Philharmonic Orchestra. He gained his bachelor's degree at Eastman in 1959, and in 1961 a master's degree in double bass performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
His first jobs as a jazz musician were with Jaki Byard and Chico Hamilton. His first records were made with Eric Dolphy (another former member of Hamilton's group) and Don Ellis, in 1960. His own first date as leader, with Eric Dolphy, Charlie Persip, Mal Waldron, George Duvivier, and a date also with Dolphy called Out There with George Duvivier and Roy Haynes and Carter on cello; its advanced harmonies and concepts were in step with the third stream movement.
Carter came to fame via the second great Miles Davis Quintet in the early 1960s, which also included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams. Carter joined Davis's group in 1963, appearing on the album Seven Steps to Heaven and the follow-up E.S.P., the latter being the first album to feature only the full quintet. It also featured three of Carter's compositions (the only time he contributed compositions to Davis's group). He stayed with Davis until 1968 (when he was replaced by Dave Holland), and participated in a couple of studio sessions with Davis in 1969 and 1970. Although he played electric bass occasionally during this period, he has subsequently eschewed that instrument entirely, and now plays only acoustic bass.
Carter also performed on some of Hancock, Williams and Shorter's recordings during the sixties for Blue Note Records. He was a sideman on many Blue Note recordings of the era, playing with Sam Rivers, Freddie Hubbard, Duke Pearson, Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Horace Silver and others.
After leaving Davis, Carter was for several years a mainstay of CTI Records, making albums under his own name and also appearing on many of the label's records with a diverse range of other musicians. Notable musical partnerships in the '70s and '80s included Joe Henderson, Houston Person, Hank Jones, and Cedar Walton. During the 1970s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet.
He appears on the alternative hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest's influential album The Low End Theory on a track called "Verses from the Abstract". He also appears as a member of the jazz combo the Classical Jazz Quartet.
In 1994, Carter appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by TIME. In 2001, Carter collaborated with Black Star and John Patton to record "Money Jungle" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to Duke Ellington.
Carter was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Music Department of The City College of New York, having taught there for twenty years, and received an honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, in Spring 2005.[4] He joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York City in 2008, teaching bass in the school's Jazz Studies program. Carter made a notable appearance in Robert Altman's 1996 film, Kansas City. The end credits feature him and fellow bassist Christian McBride duetting on "Solitude".
Ron Carter sits on the Advisory Committee of the Board of Directors of The Jazz Foundation of America as well as the Honorary Founder's Committee. Carter has worked with the Jazz Foundation since its inception to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians including musicians that survived Hurricane Katrina.
Carter appeared as himself in an episode of the HBO series Treme entitled "What Is New Orleans."
Carter's authorized biography, Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes, by Dan Ouellette was published by ArtistShare in 2008.
In 2013, Carter was one of four judges at Jazz at Lincoln Center's 18th Annual Essentially Ellington competition and festival.
Autumn Leaves
Ron Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
The opening lines of Ron Carter's song Autumn Leaves paint the picture of a beautiful yet melancholy autumn day. The falling leaves, in their vibrant red and gold hues, symbolize the passing of time and the fleeting nature of life. The singer reminisces about the warmth of summer and the love that was once shared with someone who is no longer present. The image of sun-burned hands is particularly poignant as it evokes memories of sunny days spent together. As autumn gives way to winter, the singer knows that they will miss their beloved the most when the leaves begin to fall.
The second half of the song introduces a French verse, which translates to "It's a song that resembles us, you loved me and I loved you. We lived together, you who loved me and I who loved you. But life separates those who love each other, quietly without making a sound. And the sea erases on the sand, the footsteps of the separated lovers." This verse adds a layer of complexity to the song, as it suggests that the relationship between the singer and their beloved might have ended due to circumstances outside of their control. The image of the sea washing away footsteps emphasizes the sense of loss and finality.
Overall, Autumn Leaves is a bittersweet tribute to love, loss, and the passage of time. The contrast between the beauty of autumn and the sadness of separation creates a powerful emotional resonance that continues to resonate with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
The falling leaves drift by the window
The leaves that have fallen from the trees are being carried by the wind and passing by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
The leaves that have changed colors during autumn are displaying shades of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
I remember your lips, the kisses we shared during the summer
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
I miss holding your hands that were sun-kissed from spending time outside during the summer
Since you went away the days grow long
The days seem longer now that you are gone
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
Winter is approaching and soon I'll start experiencing seasonal changes
But I miss you most of all my darling
Of all the things I miss, I miss you the most my beloved
When autumn leaves start to fall
Autumn leaves falling reminds me of the memories we shared and intensifies my longing for you
C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
This is a song that represents us
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
You loved me and I loved you
Nous vivions tous deux ensemble
We lived together as one
Toi qui m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
You loved me and I loved you
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Life separates those who love each other
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Slowly and without making any noise
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis
As time passes, the ocean waves wash away the footprints of the lovers who are no longer together
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CLAUDIO MERLINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Camille Landry
Love the way Ron Carter breaks it down in his solo. It's as if he listened to the trio, then explained to the rest of us how the music was constructed. Gorgeous!
David II
I can't believe it, I learn something new every time I listen to Ron Carter's technique and talent. The people who surround him are balanced and follow Ron and Ron follows them. Well managed team...the results is pure Gold....
pauljupiter71
This, is JAZZ! Smooth, not pushy, hints of genius, without the self-aggrandizing, that we usually have to take, from some performers! I love this!
Lima Costa
Unique style. It's impressive to perceive how the same music have various ways to be performed. Cheers !
Dankerpigeon
I could seriously listen to Russell for days. What a tone, his note choices are impeccable and he avoids most cliches which is not at all easy to do.
DarkeningSkies1
Ron Carter can pretty much lay it down in any situation. Love him with Miles, love him with Eric Dolphy, love him with Alice Coltrane. Much respect!
John Benn
WONDERFUL VERSION OF A GREAT TUNE BY ONE OF THE BEST TRIOS EVER. GEE,THERE ARE LOT OF COMEDIANS AROUND,AREN'T THERE. WELL DONE
Jason Mills
Absolutely brilliant performance by all three. What a trio!
João Oliveira
when you reach the moment where you can apreciate that bass solo, than you have a very good taste range
Observant Pothead
the guitarist is great the bassist is magnificent and the piano is the delicious cherry on top