At the Crossroads (album)
| At the Crossroads | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by James Carter Organ Trio | ||||
| Released | October 4, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | February 8 & 9, 2011 | |||
| Studio | Avatar Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 74:44 | |||
| Label | EmArcy | |||
| Producer | Michael Cuscuna | |||
| James Carter chronology | ||||
| ||||
At the Crossroads is an album by saxophonist James Carter's Organ Trio, released on the EmArcy label in 2011.[1]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |  [3] |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek commented: "At the Crossroads delivers what its title promises: a portrait of the Organ Trio at the point where they look back at B-3 jazz history and move it ever forward".[2] In JazzTimes, Steve Greenlee said: "Carter's tone—alternately gruff and sensuous, always balancing melody and skronk—of course gets the limelight. His is, after all, one of today's most unmistakable saxophone voices, and he knows it".[5] For All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey observed: "Carter takes advantage of the music, exploring all of its facets in his exceptional organ trio format. No stone is left unturned, no influence unaknowledged".[3] The Guardian' critic John Fordham wrote: "Carter can be sumptuously romantic or exhilaratingly funky – his technique embraces all kinds of extreme playing, from split-note multiphonic harmonies to staccato effects – and he directs his full firepower at this mostly mainstream-groovy repertoire".[4]
Track listing[edit]
- "Oh Gee" (Matthew Gee) – 6:49
- "JC Off the Set" (Gerard Gibbs) – 3:19
- "Aged Pain" (Ronald Shannon Jackson) – 5:26
- "The Walkin' Blues" (Jesse Powell, Ralph Bass) – 5:21
- "My Whole Life Through" (Eddie Durham, Sarah McLawler) – 7:04
- "Walking the Dog" (Jack McDuff) – 7:23
- "Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad" (Leonard King, Jr.) – 7:00
- "Misterio" (Guido Luciani) – 5:09
- "Ramblin' Blues" (Fred Mendelsohn, Maybelle Smith) – 4:19
- "Come Sunday" (Duke Ellington) – 7:34
- "Tis the Old Ship of Zion" (Traditional) – 5:21
- "The Hard Blues" (Julius Hemphill) – 9:52
Personnel[edit]
- James Carter – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Gerard Gibbs – organ
- Leonard King, Jr. – drums, vocals
- Bruce Edwards (tracks 1, 3 & 6), Brandon Ross (tracks 4 & 12) – guitar
- Miche Braden – vocals (tracks 4 & 11)
- Keyon Harrold – trumpet (tracks 4 & 10)
- Vincent Chandler – trombone (tracks 4 & 10)
- Eli Fountain – tambourine (track 10)
References[edit]
- ^ James Carter discography, accessed October 24, 2016
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. At the Crossroads – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Bailey, C. M., All About Jazz Review, accessed October 24, 2016
- ^ a b Fordham, J., The Guardian Review, November 25, 2011
- ^ Greenlee, S., James Carter Organ Trio: At the Crossroads – review, JazzTimes, November 2011 – accessed October 24, 2016