James Carter Layin' in the Cut (Atlantic)
James Carter Chasin' the Gypsy (Atlantic)
Layin' in the Cut, and Chasin' the Gypsy (Atlantic)
Reviewed by Harvey Pekar, Fri., Aug. 11, 2000
James Carter
Layin' in the Cut (Atlantic)
James Carter
Chasin' the Gypsy (Atlantic)
By jazz standards, James Carter is commercially successful, and he's got some ability, but he's jive. Carter's a saxophonist, playing everything from soprano to bass sax, that used to be thought of as a reactionary young lion but is too eclectic to be classified with people like Roy Hargrove. He plays in styles that were in vogue before he was born, thus limiting himself creatively by casting himself as a repertoire musician. Onto the old stuff he grafts some techniques most young lions (what a misnomer!) don't mess with -- circular breathing, slap tonguing, the use of multiphonics and upper-register squeals, some of which are characteristic of Sixties free jazzmen. Sometimes this hodgepodge of devices is a tasteless mess. Layin' in the Cut is touted as his "first-ever recording with an all-electric outfit," featuring guitarist Marc Ribot, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, pianist Jef Lee Johnson, and drummer G. Calvin Weston. It's supposed to be an R&B album, but it doesn't jell -- doesn't come off well as either old or new funk. The rhythm section is out of sync; despite the ability of its members, it doesn't groove together. As for Carter, he seems more interested in displaying the contents of his trick bag than making coherent musical statements. Chasin' the Gypsy, released concurrently with Cut, contains "music written and inspired by Django Reinhardt." Here his band includes violinist Regina Carter, steel-string guitarist Jay Berliner, nylon-string guitarist Romero Lubambo, accordionist Charlie Giordano (supposedly providing a French flavor), trap drummer Joey Baron, percussionist Cyro Baptista, and bassist Steve Kirby. This features an odd blend of genres, but is less muddled than Layin' in the Cut. Berliner and Lubambo don't employ their normal styles; instead they attempt to suggest Django's work. Still, their improvisation is infectious and agile. Regina Carter does what she attempts here well, also performing in older styles. On her earlier recorded appearances, however, she played creatively in a more modern manner. Now, like James, she seems to have become a repertoire musician. James Carter improvises more melodically and coherently on Gypsy, and even makes his fine chops serve musical ends on the title track, but he has no musical direction. At this point it seems all he wants to do is be a saxophone virtuoso.(Layin' in the Cut)
(Chasin' the Gypsy)