Ron-tober Returns! Bass Maestro Ron Carter is Back at Birdland All Month Long

Ron Carter brings The Golden Striker Trio, Great Big Band and Foursight Quartet to Birdland for his October residency…

NEA Jazz Master and bass virtuoso Ron Carter will grace audiences at Birdland Jazz Club once again this October. Returning to this iconic venue, Carter has taken the stage for his annual month-long residency, offering a total of 30 performances during a three-week stretch, which started on October 3 and runs through October 21. 

Renowned for his unmatched talent, Ron Carter stands as one of jazz’s most inventive and prolific bassists. With a staggering discography boasting over 2,000 albums, Carter is certified as the most recorded bass player in the history of recorded music. Honored with the prestigious 1998 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship, Carter’s collaborative footprint spans an astonishing spectrum of musical genres, with performances and recordings alongside an eclectic array of artists.

The first week spotlights Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, featuring the virtuoso talents of Russell Malone on guitar and the luminary pianist Donald Vega. A reliable working unit for over 20 years, Carter’s trio is an international sensation and can frequently be found captivating audiences at top jazz festivals around the world. Malone is one of the world’s most versatile and well-loved guitarists with a career that includes stints with Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall and more. Vega is a Nicaraguan-born American jazz pianist and music composer with an illustrious career that includes an eye-popping array of recording credits. This month, Vega is releasing a much-anticipated new album As I Travel. 

Carter’s Great Big Band takes the stage during week two. Last year, the large ensemble was a Birdland highlight – All About Jazz said in a review: “From the off, the band hit the ground and was running. What they were able to do was amplify the uniqueness of each piece in the repertoire as the band explored a wealth of tonal colors, grooves, and styles.” The program this year will likely pull from Carter’s two previously released big band albums including Ron Carter’s Big Band (Sunnyside, 2011) and Ron Carter and the WDR Big Band’s My Personal Songbook (In+Out Records, 2014).

Closing out the run will be a week with Carter’s Foursight Quartet, featuring an exceptional lineup of accomplished virtuosos Jimmy Greene on saxophone, Renee Rosnes on piano, and Payton Crossley on drum. “Their playing has real purpose, not just jamming in the spur of the moment — as rewarding as that can be,” said veteran critic Will Friedwald in his live review of last year’s quartet hit for The New York Sun. Hailing from Connecticut, Jimmy Greene stands as one of his generation’s most esteemed saxophonists, with an extensive catalog of recordings and a rich history as a sideman for luminaries such as Horace Silver and Freddie Hubbard. Similarly, pianist Renee Rosnes, originally from Vancouver, has forged an illustrious career marked by her collaborations with jazz legends like Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. Her tenure with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the SFJAZZ Collective and her groundbreaking group Artemis have solidified her place in the jazz pantheon. Drummer Payton Crossley, who entered the jazz scene at a young age, made his mark alongside the great pianist Ahmad Jamal. His formative years included invaluable guidance from renowned drummer and teacher Alan Dawson, placing him firmly among the jazz major leagues. 

There is no better place to be than Birdland Jazz Club this October. Audiences are invited to witness a living legend at the top of his game in truly exceptional company.

Ron Carter is at Birdland Jazz Club October 3-7, 10-14, and 17-21. On Tuesday through Thursday, sets begin at 7:00 and 9:30 PM, and on Friday and Saturday, at 8:30 and 10:30. Tickets start at $30, and there is a $20 minimum. 

Each show will be streamed on Thursday at 7pm here: veeps.com/birdland.

See below for Ron Carter’s full Birdland schedule for October 2023, or visit https://birdlandjazz.com/calendar/.

Ron Carter Birdland Schedule:

October 3-7: Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with Russell Malone on guitar and Donald Vega on piano
October 10-14: Ron Carter’s Great Big Band
October 17-21: Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet