ABSTRACT
Chapter 11 takes us to the world of jazz, to bassist Ron Carter, and his invention of a new sound. He had always heard music reverberate in his head. From a background of first playing classical cello but moving to the jazz bass, he began hearing other sounds—melodies to compose, standards to arrange, a new instrument to invent. All this culminated in his hearing a sound like no other, one that integrated the strains of four classical cellos with the improvisatory playing of a jazz quintet—a nonet. He had to find the players, discover what they could do together, compose and arrange music for them, adapt the music to their musical strengths, win their respect and trust. The chapter tells how these multiple creative endeavors came to fruition in the performances of his nonet, each performance bringing surprises as it was created anew in the present.
