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Regina Carter: Translating African Folk To The Jazz Violin
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Regina Carter, the jazz violinist and onetime MacArthur Fellow, stopped by NPR headquarters recently to perform and discuss material from her new album, Reverse Thread. The record marks a new direction for Carter, who used it as a vehicle for interpretations of African folk songs, both traditional and contemporary.
"For many years, I've wanted to do a 'world music' record, if you will," Carter says. "And my journey, when I started this project, was extremely broad. And then it was narrowed down to certain music from different parts of Africa. So I'm just skimming the surface, but it's our Western and contemporary arrangements on pieces -- some very old folk melodies that I found to be very beautiful, and that would work with this instrumentation."
Carter spoke with host Robert Siegel about the new album and her approach to jazz violin. And, with Will Holshouser on accordion and Yacouba Sissoko on kora, she played stripped-down versions of three songs from Reverse Thread.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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