James Carter - Gardenias for Lady Day

Following up his 2000 tribute to guitarist Django Reinhardt, Chasin' The Gypsy, saxophonist James Carter pays homage to iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday on Gardenias For Lady Day. Perhaps never before has the jazz iconoclast balanced so perfectly his "big top" avant-garde leanings with his more pinstriped traditionalist aesthetic. This is a beautiful album that revels as much in classic melody as it does in Carter's most torrid saxophone "skronk." Although the album largely succeeds on Carter's virtuosic performance, it gains most of its character from the deft and unpredictable orchestral arrangements of Greg Cohen and fellow Detroiter Cassius Richmond. Read More