Throughout the last five decades, Ron Carter has been one of the foremost influences in the bass world. By going beyond the role of timekeeper and using his bass as a dominant force in directing a band’s music by modifying beats and harmonies on the fly, Carter has set a standard few can match. Ron has made 50 albums as a leader and performed on more than 2,000 others within a wide spectrum of collaborative and sideman contexts: Eric Dolphy, Aretha Franklin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wes Montgomery, Kronos Quartet, Paul Simon, A Tribe Called Quest, and McCoy Tyner are just a handful of the luminaries that have sought out his services. But Carter’s work as part of the legendary 1960s Miles Davis quintet is what has made the most indelible imprint on his musical psyche, as evidenced by his latest album, Dear Miles. The disc finds Carter and his long-term group (pianist Stephen Scott, drummer Payton Crossley, and percussionist Roger Squitero) exploring key tracks from Davis’s 1950s and ’60s catalog, such as “Seven Steps to Heaven,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and “Bags’ Groove.” The band infuses these and other classics with a nuanced and dynamic approach that expands the tunes’ melodic palette and amps them up with propulsive, pulsing rhythms.

Two original Carter compositions (reflective of his chosen Davis oeuvre) round out the collection: The buoyant “Cut & Paste” is the record’s most fun piece, with its racing bass lines and percussive piano accents. Dear Miles wraps up with the appropriately reflective, low-key grooves of “595,” which features piano figures reminiscent of “So What,” another Davis classic.

What was your impetus to undertake a Miles Davis tribute project?
The idea and title were the record company’s idea, but I certainly bought into it. I’m 70 and probably have fewer notes to play in the future than when I was 60. It felt like it was time to comment on the kind of music I enjoyed playing during those many years with Miles. I think if Miles were still alive and heard my band playing this music, he would appreciate how it’s developed over the past 40 years. I’ve avoided Miles tribute records and groups for a long time, but the library of songs my band plays, and those we’re interested in developing, is the stuff I did during the Miles period. The album features some of the music my working band and I play every night, and we really tried to make it interesting and fun for people to hear.

What was the philosophy behind the recording?
Every song is a first take. I think the more time you spend in the studio playing the same song over and over, the more the individual musicians lose focus. As each take goes on, the intent of the music becomes more secondary to how they feel they can make their solo more important, better, or different. So, my view is we go in there and whatever happens on the first take is what we live with. Jazz is about fresh ideas—and if you get to take 25, all the freshness is gone, no matter how talented the players are.

Tell us about your creative process.
When I hear an idea in my head, I try to sit down and figure it out on the bass. I explore what the best chords are to make the song do something. I may also reach out to the piano to work things out. I have enough skill on piano to allow me to get through a song to find out if I really need a melody at a certain point, or if there is a better chord I can play to give the song a different flair. The process is about trusting my instincts and understanding that if I find a good way of doing something, I’ll know it’s right. I also do things the old-fashioned way and notate everything with a pencil, paper, and an eraser.

You’ve said a key to being an effective bassist to is to be flexible yet authoritative. Can you elaborate on that?
Bassists must understand they are part of a group, and it’s their function to make the group sound like they belong there. It’s also their responsibility to fully understand the shape of the music and be able to play the changes in their head without the bass. They should have the confidence to help direct the music so it takes on a life of its own, and they should be able to take charge of the band if the music is floundering. A good bassist knows when to step in and take a more active role and give the song a direction it’s not going in, if they feel that’s the way it should go.
 What advice do you have for bassists who are reticent to step out front like that?

Most bassists don’t know how the bass works. They usually don’t know harmony, either. So, get a teacher and learn both; get someone to show you theory and how the chords work, too. Once you have a higher skill level, a better sense of harmony and theory, you’ll feel more comfortable understanding the possibilities of a song and playing the notes that can make the music go somewhere else. Harmony is tremendously important; if you don’t know harmony, you won’t know how to make your musical point of view strong enough to catch everyone’s attention.

You’ve been using the same Juzek bass since 1959. What makes it so essential to you?
Nothing has the same feel and played-in quality. I’ve started to find where the notes are located better than ever, and I’m still determined to play this bass at a higher level than I’ve ever played it. I’m really starting to know how this bass works finally, and I’ve developed a sound on the instrument that’s identifiable because I’ve been using it so long. I think bassists should be careful when they’re looking for a bass. Don’t be impressed by its age or pedigree; ask yourself if the instrument can make a sound that you can be held responsible for forever.

When traveling by air, you used to check in your bass as “M. Contrebasse” and had it occupy a seat to protect it. How have things changed in the post-9/11 era?
The airlines don’t even let the bass on most airplanes these days. They’re really sticking it to us with their awful attitude. I just came back from a tour and borrowed a different bass for each of the eight concerts I played. It’s so unfortunate that we’re being forced not to play the instrument that does our talent justice. In a way, I feel if I don’t have my own bass, I’m cheating the public because I can’t really do what they’re paying me to do. I’ve had to get past that because this is clearly out of my hands. So, I try to play as well as I can with whatever bass has been put in front of me. I get a half an hour to say hello to it, and my job is to make it sound like what the audience thinks my bass should sound like. I’m doing the best I can in the circumstances.

Selected Discography

As a leader

Dear Miles, Blue Note
The Golden Striker, Blue Note
Stardust, Blue Note
The Bass and I, Blue Note
Mr. Bow-Tie, Blue Note
Patrao, Milestone
Parade, Milestone
All Blues, CTI
Piccolo, Milestone
Where?, Prestige

10 Essential Albums Featuring Ron

With Miles Davis
E.S.P., Sony
Live at the Plugged Nickel, Sony
Miles in the Sky, Sony

With V.S.O.P.
Live Under the Sky, Sony

With McCoy Tyner
The Real McCoy, Blue Note

With Herbie Hancock
Quartet, Sony

With Bill Frisell & Paul Motian
Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian, Nonesuch

With Sonny Rollins & McCoy Tyner
Milestone Jazzstars in Concert, Milestone

With Jim Hall
Alone Together, Milestone

With Herbie Hancock & Tony Williams
Third Plane, Milestone

Gear

Bass 1910 Juzek upright with David Gage Realist and Kurmann Soundpost pickups

Strings La Bella 7710 black nylon wound steel strings

Rig Acoustic Image Clarus 1 head and Epifani UL-110 1x10 cabinet

Ron Carter On Miles Davis The Bandleader

“Miles didn’t manage the band to the point where we would only play the music his way. He allowed us the flexibility to experiment if we saw fit, but he made us aware of the big picture. His main concern was how good can the music sound as a whole, rather than how good can one individual in the band sound. Working with Miles was an intuitive process; he never told me what to play and never asked me how I was going to play it. He just trusted that I’d find the right way to make the song work out.”