Eyes of the Masters | James Carter | The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music presents James Carter (http://www.newschool.edu/jazz) An artist long intrigued by contrasts and hybrids, Carter resists comfortable categorization. Born (1969) and raised in Detroit, Carter grew up surrounded by music, soaking up everything from funk and fusion to rock, soul, and various strains of acoustic jazz. It was the late trumpeter Lester Bowie who first brought Carter to New York, inviting him to perform with his New York Organ Combo. The Bowie connection led to Carter's debut recording, 1993's JC on the Set, a quartet tour de force that announced the arrival of a superlative new talent equally expressive on alto, tenor, and baritone sax (though he's added several other horns over the years, most importantly soprano sax). Carter always finds a way into whatever musical situation he finds himself in. "You have to be totally comfortable wherever," Carter says. "I think there's tremendous beauty in cross-pollinations of music and influences."

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is committed to excellence in undergraduate jazz education. The school is distinguished by its artist-as-mentor approach to classroom teaching; its progressive, innovative curriculum and focus on small-group performance; its superb faculty, a community of legendary musicians; its exceptionally talented students; and its location in New York City, the jazz capital of the world.

The Eyes of the Masters series is a special class where legendary artists share their experiences, knowledge and insights into the world of music both as an art form and as a business.