THREE JAZZ BASSISTS PAY TRIBUTE TO DETROIT LEGENDS PAUL CHAMBERS, RON CARTER & JAMES JAMERSON AT THE CARR CENTER

Paul Chambers

This concert celebrating the legendary Detroit bassists Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, and James Jamerson was the brainchild of the jazz drummer Terri Lynne Carrington, co-artistic director of the Carr Center. The two-hour concert was the last of the CC’s jazz season that will be held at the Detroit School for the Performing Arts. What a marvelous way to wrap up a terrific jazz concert season. To pay homage to the legendary musicians, Carrington assembled three of jazz’s most accomplished jazz bassists Detroiters Ralphe Armstrong and Robert Hurst, and John Patitucci. For added measures, the rhythm section was Carrington, pianist Ian Finkelstein, and guitarist Mark Whitfield, and the special guests were vocalists, Niki Harris, and Treaty Womack. The concert opened with Carrington calling the bassists to the stage one at a time to perform specific tunes composed by or linked to the musicians being honored. What made this concert feel authentic was each bassist shared recollections of their encounters and associations with the honorees. Hurst and Armstrong talked about studying and stealing musical techniques from Ron Carter, and Patitucci talked about having his mind blown during the formative stage of his career by James Jamerson.  Armstrong had more colorful stories, and he offered throughout the concert some comic relief. Aside from the musicians' recollections, the music for lack of a more colorful expression was smoking. The showstoppers happened when Armstrong, Hurst, and Patitucci were on stage together, and when Armstrong mimicked Jamerson’s style of playing. Other memorable moments occurred the second half of the show, which Carrington seemed to have designed for Jamerson.  Vocalists Niki Harris and Treaty Womack joined the fun singing Motown classics Jamerson helped to immortalize. The concert was the sort of authentic tribute to three Detroit greats that attendees will be thinking about for years to come. And the kind of outside the box programming Carrington has blessed the Carr Center with since signing on as co-artistic director.