RON CARTER & RICKY DILLARD “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”

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ARTIST

Ron Carter & Ricky Dillard

ALBUM TITLE

“Sweet, Sweet Spirit”

LABEL

Blue Note

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Thirteen years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Ron Carter at his home in New York. During our conversation, he told me: “My wife and I set aside an hour every Sunday at church to reflect on the week that has passed, catch our breath, and remind ourselves that there is a higher power guiding everything.”

That is why this new project – far more than a straightforward gospel album – comes as no surprise. What we find here is the meeting point of two profound artistic journeys. On one side stands Carter, a central figure in jazz history whose career now spans more than six decades. On the other is Ricky Dillard, one of the leading voices of contemporary gospel and director of the renowned New-G Choir.

The project grew out of an intimate and deeply personal gesture. Carter arranged a selection of gospel hymns cherished by his mother, a devout believer from Detroit, to accompany her during the final days of her life. Those private recordings eventually became the foundation of an album that brings together tradition, faith and a profound devotion to African American music.

Listeners expecting Carter to dominate the proceedings, however, may be surprised. Here, it is the choir that occupies centre stage, with Dillard foregrounding the vocal power and spiritual intensity of the entire ensemble. Carter’s double bass serves as an emotional anchor, guiding the music through deep, elegant lines that remain in constant dialogue with the choir. His presence never overshadows the collective sound; instead, it supports and enriches it, lending refinement and a contemplative quality even to the most impassioned passages.

Sweet, Sweet Spirit is more than a tribute. It is both a musical and spiritual experience, capable of speaking equally to gospel devotees and to listeners who seek depth, emotion and sincerity in music. A remarkable album of Black American music.

Nicola Gaeta

DISTRIBUTED BY

Universal

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