So far this semester it has been challenging for me to stay committed to one book, but this book about the great bassist Ron Carter has proven to be very interesting to me. Ron Carter is one of the most recorded bassists in jazz history, and "Finding the Right Notes" is a story about his musical journey. I was inspired to buy the book after seeing him play at the Blue Note in New York city.
So far the author is discussing to the reader interviews with Ron about his solo career. Ron has been touring with a group (both trios and quintets) as the front man, making the groups "The Ron Carter Trio (or Quintet)". This is the first time he has ever done this in his career, which spans the length of several decades. Ron describes how hard this is considering the fact that he's a bassist, even though he was the go to bassist for several legendary acts such as Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. Although Ron may have thought it was hard, the show I saw at the Blue Note was absolutely packed, and the crowd loved Ron's performance.
Ron is portrayed to be such a good guy in this book, which is inspiring to me. When I talked to him in New York, he seemed to be very reserved in his speaking, but very aware of everything going on around him. His personality perfectly represents his playing, and the standard of jazz bass playing. He is a supportive person, and a supportive player. He supported me by wishing me luck on my audition, and he supported Miles Davis by giving him a comfortable foundation to solo, or play melodies over. I thought it was interesting how I knew Ron by his playing before I even met him. The author of the book would say the same thing, describing Ron as an extremely intelligent, relatively shy but assertive, and supportive overall. It inspires me to be this way as a person, and to have it reflect in my own personal playing.
I'm sure I will stay committed to this book because it interests me so much. It interests me as a writer because the author writes about my favorite topic, music, while interviewing one of my favorite bass players, Mr. Ron Carter. I mentioned in my previous blog on "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" that the writing of musicians and their stories is my favorite type of writing, and the sort of writing I would aspire to do in my own work.
