Another one from my new collection, “Ron Carter’s Fingers” is also featured in the latest collection of poetry available at Jerry Jazz Musician, a wonderful site that celebrates jazz 24/7.
Google Ron Carter: it’s impossible to “encapsulate” his legacy and import. Suffice it to say he’s appeared on over 2,000 recordings (Two Thousand), the most prolific (and sampled) bassist in jazz history. Legend. Master. Genius. And for the uninitiated, check out “Footprints” from Miles Davis’s Second Quintet, arguably the best group of musicians ever assembled (Miles (RIP), Tony Williams (RIP), Wayne Shorter (RIP — and much more about him, here), Ron Carter, and Herbie Hancock).
Ron Carter’s Fingers*
Is it possible for fingers to leave
Footprints?
If they touch certain strings often
Enough
The resulting sounds explode like
Lava
And grow like ancient rings around
Trees
Or a succession of waves soaking
Shores
Becoming single moments echoing
Infinity.
(*American jazz musician Ron Carter—notable for his work with Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, and as a member of Miles Davis’s second quintet in the mid ‘60s—has appeared on over 2,000 recording sessions, more than any bassist in history.)
