At the Crossroads (album)

At the Crossroads is an album by saxophonist James Carter's Organ Trio, released on the EmArcy label in 2011.[1]

At the Crossroads
Studio album by
James Carter Organ Trio
ReleasedOctober 4, 2011
RecordedFebruary 8 & 9, 2011
StudioAvatar Studios, New York City
GenreJazz
Length74:44
LabelEmArcy
ProducerMichael Cuscuna
James Carter chronology
Caribbean Rhapsody
(2011)
At the Crossroads
(2011)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz     [3]
AllMusic     [2]
The Guardian     [4]

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek commented: "At the Crossroads delivers what its title promises: a portrait of the Organ Trio at the point where they look back at B-3 jazz history and move it ever forward".[2] In JazzTimes, Steve Greenlee said: "Carter's tone—alternately gruff and sensuous, always balancing melody and skronk—of course gets the limelight. His is, after all, one of today's most unmistakable saxophone voices, and he knows it".[5] For All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey observed: "Carter takes advantage of the music, exploring all of its facets in his exceptional organ trio format. No stone is left unturned, no influence unaknowledged".[3] The Guardian' critic John Fordham wrote: "Carter can be sumptuously romantic or exhilaratingly funky – his technique embraces all kinds of extreme playing, from split-note multiphonic harmonies to staccato effects – and he directs his full firepower at this mostly mainstream-groovy repertoire".[4]

Track listing edit

  1. "Oh Gee" (Matthew Gee) – 6:49
  2. "JC Off the Set" (Gerard Gibbs) – 3:19
  3. "Aged Pain" (Ronald Shannon Jackson) – 5:26
  4. "The Walkin' Blues" (Jesse Powell, Ralph Bass) – 5:21
  5. "My Whole Life Through" (Eddie Durham, Sarah McLawler) – 7:04
  6. "Walking the Dog" (Jack McDuff) – 7:23
  7. "Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad" (Leonard King, Jr.) – 7:00
  8. "Misterio" (Guido Luciani) – 5:09
  9. "Ramblin' Blues" (Fred Mendelsohn, Maybelle Smith) – 4:19
  10. "Come Sunday" (Duke Ellington) – 7:34
  11. "Tis the Old Ship of Zion" (Traditional) – 5:21
  12. "The Hard Blues" (Julius Hemphill) – 9:52

Personnel edit

References edit

  1. ^ James Carter discography, accessed October 24, 2016
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. At the Crossroads – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, C. M., All About Jazz Review, accessed October 24, 2016
  4. ^ a b Fordham, J., The Guardian Review, November 25, 2011
  5. ^ Greenlee, S., James Carter Organ Trio: At the Crossroads – review, JazzTimes, November 2011 – accessed October 24, 2016