Return to Articles	Release: 5-16-01

RON CARTER AUDIO ARCHIVE ESTABLISHED
AT EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester has established the Ron Carter Audio Archive and Collection in its Sibley Music Library, the largest academic music library in the world.

A Distinguished Professor of Music at CCNY, jazz legend Ron Carter is a two-time Grammy Award winning artist.  Described by The Washington Post as "the most original, prolific, and influential bassist in jazz," he has defined and redefined the role of the bassist in jazz ensembles during his career.

“With this collection, we will recognize him through the presentation of his artistry to generations of musicians,” said James Undercofler, Director and Dean of the Eastman School of Music.

  As a performer, composer/arranger, educator and critic, and with more than 3000 recordings to his credit, Ron Carter has influenced the world of jazz profoundly.

He was a member of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet and has performed with virtually every major jazz figure, as well as with the Kronos Quartet, known for its performance of modern classical music, and "A Tribe Called Quest," a rap band.

He has created a body of work for the piccolo bass, and is the only bass player to have recorded his own transcriptions and arrangements of Bach's music ("Ron Carter Plays Bach," 1987 and "Ron Carter Meets Bach," 1991).  As a composer he won a Grammy (Best Original Composition, 1988) for his contribution ("Call Sheet Blues") to the film Round Midnight, in which he was a featured performer as well.  His second Grammy, in 1993, was for the Best Jazz Band Recording (“The Miles Davis Tribute Band”), featuring Herbie Hancock (piano), Tony Williams (drums), Wayne Shorter (saxophones), and Wallace Roney (trumpet). 

Distinguished Professor Carter joined City College's Music Department in 1983 and has attracted students to CCNY from Japan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and other countries.  Under his direction the department's student "Small Jazz Ensemble" blossomed into an elite group that took first prize at the San Sebastian, Spain jazz festival in 1987.

            He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the Eastman School of Music, and a master’s degree in double bass from The Manhattan School of Music, where he also taught.  Distinguished Professor Carter has received honorary doctorates from the New England Conservatory of Music and The Manhattan School of Music. He was also awarded a 1998 American Jazz Master Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in recognition of his contributions to “jazz, artistic excellence and impact on the music field.”

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