Jazz Finland Live

Saxophone virtuoso James Carter arrives at G Livelab with his Organ Trio and the program “Coltrane: A Centennial Supreme.” The concert features a tribute to John Coltrane, born 100 years ago.

“Music and life do not separate” says saxophone virtuoso James Carter, “my elders have taught me that music is a culture and a way of life.”

Detroit native Carter shared his childhood home with five musically inclined siblings in “a house filled with all manner of sounds, from The Beatles to Funk and Hendrix.”

At the tender age of seventeen the young prodigy shared a stage with the great Wynton Marsalis and at 23, released his landmark debut album JC On the Set, hailed by many as the arrival of a new Jazz master. Over the decades that followed, Carter has cemented his reputation as one of this generation’s most charismatic and versatile soloists, boasting collaborations with Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kathleen Battle, Frank Lowe & Saxemble, the World Saxophone Quartet and Wynton Marsalis among other Jazz greats.

Honing his craft to a jaw-dropping technical level, Carter is the master of a family of saxophones, flute and clarinet. His is a powerhouse virtuosity likened by composer Roberto Sierra to the great Paganini.

The organ combo reigned for several decades as jazz’s meat-and-potatoes mainstay, a populist vehicle for blues-drenched blowing. In the hands of James Carter, one of jazz’s most sophisticated improvisers, the organ trio is no less meaty and satisfying. But his virtuosic saxophone chops elevate the organ combo to a rarefied realm defined by delectable soul, a gourmet repertoire, and consistently inspired group interplay.

Featuring the lithe and muscular keyboard work of Detroit’s rising B3 star Gerard Gibbs and the propulsive drum support of Motor City trap master Alex White, the multigenerational James Carter Organ Trio is now in its seventeenth year.

James Carter - Saxophones
Gerard Gibbs - Hammond B3
Alex White - Drums