Jazz violin virtuoso and winner of the 2006 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship, Regina Carter returned to NC State’s campus for three performances on Friday and Saturday in Titmus Theatre.
Carter, who also performed at NC State in October 2011, is considered a pioneer for women in jazz and the foremost jazz violinist of her generation. She, along with her four-man band, primarily performed music from her most recent album, “Southern Comfort.”
“The Southern Comfort album reflects on the journey I took finding out about my father’s family, and discovering my family’s history,” Carter said. “I wanted to hear the music my ancestors heard.”
Gabriel Pelli, a violinist for the Gypsy jazz-inspired band, The Onyx Club Boys, held pre-show discussions Saturday evening to discuss Carter’s style and musical history.
“What strikes me about Regina Carter is her beautiful tone,” Pelli said. “She is very inventive and has unique interpretations of everything she plays. She also has the technical skills to have this one-to-one connection between what she is hearing in her mind and what comes out through the violin.”
Born and raised in Detroit, Carter started playing violin at the age of 4 after an unsuccessful attempt at the piano. She was taught by the Suzuki Method, which is geared toward Western classical music, according to Pelli. She later went on to study at the New England Conservatory of Music.
“It was during this time that she was inspired to play jazz music, and moved back to Detroit,” Pelli said.
In addition to drawing inspiration from her family history, Carter also turned to various musical styles such as spirituals, blues and country music, as well as the diverse history of jazz music for inspiration on the “Southern Comfort” album, according to Pelli.
“She obviously knows a lot about jazz history,” Pelli said. “She is successfully able to incorporate that into her modern interpretations and she does that really well on this new album.”
During her shows, Carter held her smartphone to her microphone and shared field recordings that inspired her music.
Ty and Michelle Barber drove more than five hours from Northern Virginia to listen to Carter and her band perform on Saturday.
“We spent most of the day driving here, but it is definitely worth it,” Michelle Barber said. “We saw Regina last year in a small club up in Boston. She plays just beautifully, so we had to come down here to see her again.”
In addition to Carter on violin, the “Southern Comfort” band includes Will Holshouser on the accordion, Marvin Sewell on the guitar, Jesse Murphy on bass and Carter’s husband, Alvester Garnett, on the drums.
“The entire band was great to watch,” said Ty Barber. “When we initially saw her play up in Boston, she was alone. And while she was great then, the entire band just added so much to her story. It was a wonderful performance.”
Today, Carter is considered the torch bearer of jazz violin.
“She creates every note with a purpose and intent and adds beauty and joy to it,” Pelli said. “She is a griot of jazz violin, or someone who carries on a musical traction orally, and she is able to successfully synthesize this jazz history into her own unique style.”
