Kent Carter String Trio

1993 release ** "Those who have appreciated through the years the many talents of bassist Kent Carter (in the bands of Paul Bley, Carla Bley or Steve Lacy for instance), have secretly wished that one day he would lead his own band. Since Mister Carter has always been a very personal and inspired soloist, one would think that his conceptions ought to be extended to the size of an orchestra. With the Kent Carter String Trio, this wish comes through, and our hopes are more than satisfied. The Willisau performance from August 1981 is enough to demonstrate that this trio ranks among the freshest and most exciting units the creative music scene offers today. What strikes most with this trio is that it offers a music that seems to belong to no school, even if one can feel it is rooted in the double tradition of African-American music and occidental classical music. Yet the listener never has the impression of patchwork or blending. Between the written parts and the improvisations, and thanks to the contrasted personalities of the three protagonists of the group, Kent Carter fully succeeds in proposing a unique sound designing very pure landscapes that slowly takes the listener into a different universe. Its softness - which covers same very strong inner dynamics - and its subtle structures offer a definitely new direction in the music of today."