Legendary bassist Ron Carter at the Detroit Jazz Festival. Image courtesy of PBS.
“Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes,” a new documentary about legendary jazz bassist and City College of New York Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ron Carter premieres on PBS at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 21.
Carter taught in City College’s Jazz Studies program from 1982-2002, and is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz music. He has recorded over 2200 albums, and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most recorded jazz bassist in history.
Directed by seven-time Emmy award-winner Peter Schnall, of Partisan Pictures, the movie is a portrait of a musical trailblazer who was turned away from the segregated world of classical music only to forge his own path in jazz.
He made a name for himself with Miles Davis’ second quintet (1963-1968), and accompanied greats like Chet Baker and Lena Horne. Eventually, he did find a way back to classical music, writing and recording pieces for string quartet and arranging Bach chorales for basses.
“No one is gonna tell me what I cannot do,” he states in the film. “They may tell me I can’t work there. They may tell me I can’t go in their front door. But they’re not telling me what I can’t do.”
The movie features a star-studded roster of musicians like Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins and Stanley Clark. The movie shows new concert footage of Carter performing songs, including “Sweet Lorraine” with his former student jazz pianist Jon Batiste. But it also depicts Carter visiting students at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, fielding questions and giving advice. His honesty, empathy and extraordinary skill win over his young audience.
“Through six extraordinary years of filming and traveling together, Ron never ceased to amaze me with his warmth and grace,” said Schnall, who has won seven Emmys and a Peabody Award, and is known for the recent five-hour MSNBC/NBC Studios series “Obama.”
The name of the movie is the same as Carter’s memoir “Finding the Right Notes” which was published in 2014, and is available online. In addition to performing and recording, Carter continues to teach at the Manhattan School of Music.
About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization DegreeChoices ranks CCNY #3 nationally for social mobility. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.