Alex Trelinski
AMERICAN bass legend Ron Carter will be one of the headline acts at this November’s Cartagena Jazz Festival.
Ron Carter’s visit last year to the Murcia region had to be cancelled after the veteran musician suffered a fall.
He’s regarded as one of the most prolific bass players in the genre, and worked with Miles Davis as part of his legendary 60s jazz quintet that also featured Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter.
It will be one of the last live performances for the 86-year-old who will be accompanied by his prestigious quartet, Foursight, at Cartagena’s Neuvo Teatro Circo on November 10.
The three-times Grammy award winner has appeared on 2,221 recording sessions- making him the most recorded jazz-bassist in history.
He’s also a top class cellist who has recorded many times on that instrument, which was the first one that he learned to play at school at the age of 10 before switching to the bass.
Carter has been honoured by countries around the world including France and Japan, and taught as an emeritus professor for 20 years at the music department of the City College of New York.
The Cartagena Jazz Festival in Murcia is one of Spain’s oldest and other names slated in for November include Morgan, Steve Coleman, Nubya Garcia, Josemi Carmona accompanied by Javier Colina and Bandolero, and the jazz fusion ensemble Patax.
Other artists, including Nuria Graham, Pol Batlle, and Santero Los Muchachos, will also be performing at the festival.
Composer and saxophonist Nubya Garcia, one of the shining stars of contemporary English jazz, will open the festival on November 3.
Despite being only 32 years old, she’s often compared to greats like Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, who influenced her as an artist growing up in Camden Town.
Cartagena’s Culture Councillor, Nacho Jaudenes, said: “This festival is an example of how jazz festivals have been embracing new sounds, similar to what the Montreux Jazz Festival does.”
“Cartagena will host both emerging figures of contemporary jazz and classic musicians who have left their mark on the history of music, along with a fusion of other genres like African music and flamenco,” added Jaudenes.
Tickets for the concerts at Cartagena’s Neuvo Teatro Circo range from €20 to €25, and 200 passes have been put on sale for just €60- covering all the concerts at the venue.
El Batel Auditorium is another venue for the festival, hosting concerts on the first three Sundays of November with performances from Catalan musician Pol Batlle, Catalan-Irish singer-songwriter, Nuria Graham, and Valencian band Santero y Los Muchachos.
More and information and ticket bookings are available through the website jazzcartagena.es
