Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes will premiere on PBS in October. The documentary about one of jazz music’s most intriguing musicians will look at his life and 60-year career. Carter’s upright bass has traveled some of the most interesting spaces in music including the Miles Davis Quintet and being famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest. He has recorded with Eric Dolphy, Wes Montgomery, B.B. King, Lena Horne and countless others. Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, George Benson, Lenny White, Stanley Clarke, Buster Williams and Bill Frisell talk about their work with Carter in the film.
Batiste says, [Mr. Ron Carter] is a man whose legacy reflects not only the challenges and successes he has faced over the past sixty years as an African-American artist, but the spirit of the African-American experience as a whole, in the trying, turbulent, and transformative times in which we live.”
Ron Carter has been recognized for his work with six honorary doctorates, three Grammys and a Guinness World Record for being The Most Recorded Jazz Bassist. The legend explained his purpose in a press statement:
“I’m trying to find what the top of the mountain looks like, and the only way to get there is by playing every night like it’s my last chance to get this right. It’s getting to that place. It’s seeing the music still fight for survival, and I am still part of that. I mean how long do I want to continue to be fighting for the survival of music? Or be part of the struggle of people who are trying to make the music remain vital to someone else’s life. I’m not sure what I want to do, other than keep looking for the right notes.”
Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes will debut on PBS October 21st at 9 PM ET. The documentary will be available for streaming on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
