Q: What do you like about your favorite bass players? 
A: I often hear great players, and they are not identified in the media that I am hearing them on. So a lot of electric players are not identified by me.

Q: What instruments in the band do you listen to most closely when you play? 
A: The bass and the bass drum pitch.

Q: Tell us about the Miles Davis Band? 
A: All the players tried to fall into a creative environment each night to support the soloists in a different manner, so each night we react differently. We were the chemicals, and Miles was the chemist.

Q: Tell us about Coleman Hawkins? 
A: Rudy Van Gelder initiated a studio date with me, Tommy Flanagan, and Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins asked what songs I already knew, and we worked out the unfamiliar material. I was honored that a musician who was 3 times my age would seek me out. We were very quickly off and running at the studio date.

Q: Tell us about Pat Metheny? 
A: In January this year, I played with him and Joe Dyson at Blue Note Tokyo. We recorded every night… Those recordings might be released as an album once they figure out who owns the legal rights.

Q: What do you like best about Coltrane? 
A: I liked his focus. He was determined to play what he needed to play. He was true to his beliefs. Sometimes I wonder about how Coltrane would have played differently in his band if he had chosen different players.

Q: What music do you listen to? 
A: Samuel Barber, Adagio For Strings. Elgar, Elegy. These compositions really show empathy and emotional playing.

Q: How are you in such good shape? 
A: I have spent 40 years with a personal trainer. The last 10 years, my focus has been on Pilates. I get up at 5:00 A.M. My diet is good, and I make sure to eat a healthy breakfast. I go right home after the gig. No hanging out. You have to have dedication.
(Fun fact: Ron once played basketball with Kareem Abdul Jabbar for 20 minutes.)

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? 
A: I like art and currently am enjoying the work of Elizabeth Catlett, a Brooklyn sculptor. She painted me a birthday card. I also like to watch crime dramas, like Bosch. A great line from the show is, “Dad I brought the good stuff over from the house: the Ron Carter.”

Q: How do you handle challenging gigs?
A: All gigs are challenging. You need a teacher to navigate the diversity of each. Make a story in your mind as you play. Make that story and people are appreciative.

Q: How can I be a better soloist? 
A: Half notes are cool. If you overplay, it’s like a run-on sentence. Michael Brecker once chased Wayne Shorter down the hall and cornered him to ask how he could be a better player. “Go down the hallway and find Mr. Half Note,” was Waynes’s advice.

Q: Tell me about the interlude you played on the last tour with Donald Vega. 
A: It was what was needed to bridge the music in a tribute to Mr. Malones passing.

Q: Miles. 
A: Every night we got to play good music, don’t fool around.

Q: Tell us about Monk. 
A: Sam Jones asked me at the last minute if I could take a gig at the Circle in the Square, as he was sick. That gig was with Mr. Monk’s band. Monk says to me, “let’s review what you don’t know.” I did the week-long gig with him, and I called him Mr. Monk. I would play at Mr. Monk’s gig at night, then be at school the next day. Lots of commuting.

Q: What other instruments have you played? 
A: I played the Tenor Sax and trumpet in high school. Speaking of trumpets, I once broke Miles Davis’s trumpet with my size 13 shoes, as it was in a hidden position along a steep staircase next to the bar. I later got it fixed.

Q: Can you suggest a book that will improve my fingering? 
A: Don’t go to the fish store for scales. I like to recommend the book, “Ron Carter’s Comprehensive Bass Method.”
I’m very conscious of the information being presented in the tune. It would take eight bars with Miles, and two bars with others. In other words, that’s how long it takes for me to figure out the right note choices.
I always like to play through an amp. The bane of my existence is being asked to play acoustically without an amp. I will turn down gigs now without an amp. I want to make sure my grandmother, who could not afford an orchestra seat, can hear every note I play. Every note needs to be heard by everyone in the audience.

Q: How do you deal with hand, shoulder, and neck pain from playing the bass? 
A: Playing the bass should NOT be causing you pain. If it is, you need to fire your teacher and get a new one. Sometimes I offer one-on-one Zoom consultations; when I’m next open for these, I’ll be happy to help you.

Q: What do you suggest to be a better reader? 
A: Please see my “Comprehensive Bass Method” for tips on how to be a better reader. How will you work if you can’t read? That really leaves you limited choices. Do not play a gig for three weeks, and just review this book.
Classical material will help you hear different material and is located on a different planet. One example is the Bach cello suite I played at the DC jazz fest this year.

Q: What did starting out in classical music teach you? 
A: It taught me how to practice and use time management. The orchestra made me a better musician. Well rounded. There’s many new stories to tell within a symphonic work.

Q: Do you focus on one instrument or are you in favor of being a multi-instrumentalist? 
A: My focus is limited to playing bass exclusively. My advice is to play one instrument well. Don’t be a jack of all trades. Don’t mess around. Play one instrument. One less thing to worry about.
I like getting better. My job is to show them what it takes.

Q: How do you adapt to different musical settings like a 6 piece? Duo? Trio? 
A: Ask yourself, how can you make that vibe work? In different settings telling different stories.
I have the utmost respect for musicians making music out of nothing. Back in the day, the environment and settings were often bad. Not welcoming. But these musicians played incredible music in places where your coat rack was a trash can. We played as much as possible. Accept the environment, and commit to making the band sound good regardless of where it is being crammed into.
Everyone needs to hear me. I am the focal point and control the ship. The bass player always controls the band. I led the Miles Davis band this way, even though it was Miles’s band.

Q: I am learning the electric bass at 80. What advice do you have for me? 
A: Get a teacher. Get a teacher! And start taking gigs. Speed is developed at the gig, not in the practice room or at home.

Q: Is it true that Miles went on cold with no warmup?
A: Yes. In the five and a half years we played together, Miles never warmed up. No arpeggios. This was true for Freddie Hubbard as well. Often at a gig, there is no place to warm up comfortably and individually. No dressing rooms.

Q: How do you become a better improviser? 
A: Practice on the gig. There’s no other answer. Transcribing someone else’s solo and calling it improv is not improvisation. It is pre-practicing. Don’t fool yourself. It will not fool others.
As you start out, you will play bad notes. You will step on the form, and you will play solos no one claps for. Don’t get down on yourself about it. View it as a free lesson on what needs to change for next time. We all started there, and you will improve.

Livestreaming tickets for my October Birdland Residency are now available via VEEPS.

Each Thursday night, my 7:00 PM set will be live-streamed, to be viewed near and far from the screen of your choosing… Whether you wish to see me with my New Jazz Trio, my Foursight Quartet, my Great Big Band, or in duo with Bill Charlap, you shall have the option of doing so from the comfort of your own living room. (If you wish to come in-person on Thursday nights, however, do still feel free 😉 )

Find tickets for both in-person and live-streamed shows via www.RonCarterJazz.com

Photo by Rino Giardiello