At the Crossroads

Saxophonist James Carter, who’s now 42, first popped up on my radar several years ago with Live at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, the CD that first featured his organ trio: fellow Motor City musicians Gerard Gibbs (organ) and Leonard King Jr. (drums). This marks his 15th CD as a leader (and his third with the trio) and it is a joyous event that he celebrates with a handful of guests. Carter’s an accomplished musician equally at home on flute, soprano, alto, tenor (his preferred instrument) and baritone saxes. He’s also comfortable playing both inside and outside a tune’s structure as he easily demonstrates on, for example, Brother Jack McDuff’s “Walking the Dog.” (On the other hand, Julius Hemphill’s “The Hard Blues” is all outside.) There’s a lot of solid blues here, and vocalist Miche Braden gets down on Big Maybelle’s “Ramblin’ Blues” with great support from trumpeter Keyon Harrold and trombonist Vincent Chandler. Braden et al. really rip it up on the semi-salacious “The Walking Blues”—where she dances around avoiding the “F” word—with Carter’s fierce baritone sax solo another highlight. Ellington’s “Come Sunday” and “Tis the Old Ship of Zion” balance out the Saturday-night blues with some Sunday-morning gospel. This CD’s got it all! Blues, gospel, inside, outside—what a deal!