Regina Carter Quintet

Gone in a Phrase of Air

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MacArthur Genius and Doris Duke Artist Award recipient Regina Carter is rightfully considered jazz’s leading violinist, but just a short list of her collaborators should illustrate how broad is the scope of her art: Wynton Marsalis, Ray Brown, Mary J. Blige, Chucho Valdés, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Omara Portuondo, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the list goes on. Whatever the present task, you can always count on Carter’s music being smart, virtuosic, and alive.

Tonight’s performance will close out our Spring Jazz Festival with a special program entitled Gone in a Phrase of Air. Her group includes pianist Xavier Davis, upright bass player Chris Lightcap, and drummer Alvester Garnett. The program includes a collection of original and reimagined music exploring our country’s numerous communities—predominantly African American—displaced and dispossessed in the name of urban renewal. Make no mistake, though: despite these unjust losses, this performance is not solely lamentation; this is equally and importantly a celebration of these places and their iconic musicians, including neighborhoods in Carter’s hometown of Detroit as well as in Boston, St. Louis, Durham (NC), Chicago, Lubbock (TX), and more. As with any of Carter’s work, it will surely “reach a broad range of listeners and strike a responsive chord. Listeners who have ties to similar communities will enjoy the message and the music, and others new to these stories will discover the vibrancy and spirit of these lost places.”

Seating for this performance is limited. This performance is not eligible for group discounts.

This performance is generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.

The 2021/22 Jazz Festival is generously sponsored by
Leslie & Howard Appleby and Jill & David Altshuler.

Support provided by the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative.

This performance is made possible in part by support from Celebrity Series' LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Innovation Funds.