Kenyon Carter

In the press for Kenyon Carter’s third album, much is made of a car accident that nearly severed the smooth jazz saxophonist’s career. Game On (CurvePoint Media) is perhaps the best reflection of the appreciation of a musician who found his second wind and his second chance: The original music on all 10 tracks exudes gratitude and the simple joy of playing from the heart with a renewed sense of purpose.

Scheduled for an August 14, 2015 release, two lead singles are already hitting big with listeners: “Jammin’ On Juniper,” and the title track featuring guitarist Chuck Loeb. Carter advanced “Jammin’ On Juniper” before the album was even finished. “Jammin’” received plenty of radio play too, and became one of the most listened-to singles on the Billboards the first week out.

Just as with “Jammin’,” the radio version of “Game On” with Loeb rocks from the start to the finish. Carter spins fashionable, infectious melodic sax notes up and down the square like an exuberant DJ at a late-night dance party. Loeb maxes out his gift for scintillating, vintage gab; both these funkmeisters lay out the grooves.

A producer and composer on this third album, Carter hopes to offer listeners another snapshot of where he’s at. His previous two albums also charted well, while displaying the saxophonist’s range and depth of imagination. The contemporary jazz album of Right By My Side — inspired by Carter’s love for his wife — came out in 2011 to critical and popular favor, with three songs charting well. Last year, Carter achieved favor with the masses again with another look at jazz through a gospel filter in Songs For My Father. Released on August 26, 2014, Carter’s deft, gracious hand filled up all the stop-gaps of familiar but originally quite formal gospel hymns such as “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Amazing Grace,” and “How Great Thou Art.”

Music played by someone literally touched by “Amazing Grace” sounds truer, deeper, lovelier than someone who will never know such affliction. Chicago tenor Frank Catalano — enjoying his own corner of fame with the release of the John Coltrane-inspired Love Supreme Collective and God’s Gonna Cut You Down — also experienced a brush with mortality in a car accident that shredded his left shoulder and left wrist.

Like Catalano, Carter worried he would lose the ability to play the music that gave him such freedom as he did the heavy lifting of rehab. For Carter, who can play tenor, baritone, and soprano, the car crash damaged the radial nerve in his arm. Doctors weren’t sure the musician would ever regain full use of his arm. For eight months, Carter wore a specially-designed therapy glove in an effort to play saxophone from scratch, from the bottom up. He also gave lessons while recuperating, praying he would one day be able to play the way he used to.

These three albums, especially his latest, give a good indication that Kenyon Carter can play again — with a deeper love for the jazz that he almost lost.

“I once heard someone talk about their recording projects as ‘snapshots’ in time,” Carter explained in a Great Scott press release. “My first album was written as I was falling in love with my wife and the second was a tribute to my late father. ‘Game On’ is the next snapshot in my life, a decision to really go for it musically and hold nothing back. While my injury definitely changed the course of my life, it didn’t define me or hold me back. It was unbelievably scary to think that I would never play saxophone again, but I know I was given a second shot at life and I’m grateful to have gained the clarity to pursue what I really want in life — both personally and professionally. ‘Game On’ is an honest musical snapshot that combines my love for pop, R&B, funk, etc. with my favorite elements of the straight-ahead jazz tradition and I’m very proud of it. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to write and play this music and to record it with the world-class musicians who helped make this project come alive.”

Carter should feel very proud. The songs on this upcoming album show a recovery in progress, and the newfound discoveries within. He makes a strong statement on every last one of these songs, leaving nothing to chance. There’s nothing tentative in his approach. “Lights Down Low” is four minutes and 29 seconds of endless groove, as Carter sinks into the bones of the rich, milky melodic splendor, working well off the nuggets of snap, crackle, and pop from his fellow musicians, especially keyboardist Tyrone Jackson.

The scary spacious narrative of “Here We Go” is met with confident cool by Carter. He tone-on-tones a melody so elusive, yet so haunting, chasing the climactic elements home the entire time — as if still composing in the middle of an improvisational spell. When guitarist Billy Wilkie takes that elusive, haunting melody and scorches meat on every surface, it’s a triumphant, compositional moment for the artist who carves out his very own signature.

“Going Home” is Carter’s answer to those eight months of struggle, doubt, fear, and hope. He lays his heart out on the line in an instantly captivating, yet familiar melody of the first rays of hope as he first felt himself play again. The melody also seems to capture the kind souls who went out of their way to help him see this journey through. If the Atlanta-based artist needs a third lead single, let this be the next one out. It’s his unique calling card: melodic, emotional jazz.

Kenyon Carter’s zest for life is apparent with every sinewy, shadowy, and sensual peek into Game On. He has several musicians to thank for joining him in this triumphant outing: guitarist Chuck Loeb, guitarist Billy Wilkie, bassist Tim Aucoin, drummer John David, keyboardist Tyrone Jackson, trumpeter Brent Whiten, and trombonist Richard Sherrington.

Carter plans to celebrate his new album with several Atlanta shows, August 15, 8 p.m., at Marietta Jazz & Jokes, and August 22, 7:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m., Alpharetta’s Velvet Note. He’s also on HTR Radio the weekend of August 15-16 to promote Game On. - Carol Banks Weber AXS Contributor

SmoothJazz.com

Jonathan Widran July 15, 2015

“Overcoming a serious car crash related arm injury that could have derailed his musical dreams, Atlanta saxophonist Kenyon Carter continues to show the power of perseverance, declaring GAME ON with this high octane blast of world class contemporary jazz. A follow up to his hymn driven tribute Songs For My Father, this collection – which features Chuck Loeb’s sizzling electric guitar on the title track – is a hard hitting musical snapshot that combines the artist’s love for pop, R&B, funk and elements of straight ahead amidst the Smooth Jazz. Get your grooving’ GAME ON with Carter’s infectious flow!” - SmoothJazz.com

A story of motivation, overcoming adversity, realizing a dream, massaging and honing a vision, and bringing it all home to bear in a recording. That’s what we have here in this latest endeavor by saxman Kenyon Carter, a man of sheer determination, Kenyon Carterimagination, and drive who survived a serious car crash that mangled his right arm and left doctors uncertain as to whether the broken appendage with severe radial nerve damage would ever function normally again. However, after months and hours of practicing to play sax again, sheer inspiration and inner strength helped push the saxman successfully through it all.

The result is this latest release Game On which, as he puts it, is “the next snapshot in my life, a decision to go for it musically and hold nothing back. While my injury definitely changed the course of my life, it didn’t define me or hold me back. It was unbelievably scary to think that I would never play saxophone again, but I know I was given a second shot at life and I’m grateful to have gained the clarity to pursue what I really want in life – both personally and professionally.”

The project, completely written and produced by Carter, features guitar guru Chuck Loeb on the blistering title track and has some fantastic horn arrangements throughout.

In addition to the title track, my personal picks include the light and airy “Just A Smile,” the sizzlin’ and funky “Jammin’ on Juniper,” the motorin’ “Moving Forward” (and is it ever movin’!), the sassy “Wine On Eight,” the wildly seductive “Lights Down Low,” and the sweetly reflective “In This Moment.”

In a nutshell, here again is proof of what sheer determination and will can do. If this effort can’t convince one to never say “never,” I don’t know what will. Two thumbs up effort. – Ronald Jackson - The Smooth Jazz Ride

A pivotal album inspired by a pivotal, life-changing experience, Game On is the apropos title of Kenyon Carter’s (www.KenyonCarter.com) forthcoming album, a ten-song set of originals that the saxophonist wrote and produced in this “Go for it!” moment in his career. Due August 14, his third disc knocks it out of the park with an MVP assist from guitar great Chuck Loeb (Fourplay), a contemporary jazz heavyweight who trades ferocious licks with Carter’s spirited tenor horn. There’s a sense of urgency to the cut that can be directly attributed to an incident in Carter’s not too distant past that informs everything the Atlanta-based artist does in life and career.

Carter’s arm was mangled in a car crash resulting in severe radial nerve damage. Doctors didn’t know if the appendage would ever function normally again thus putting the musician’s career choice in peril. Undeterred, Carter utilized a specially-designed therapy glove, spending countless hours daily for eight months trying to relearn how to play sax. Since he couldn’t perform at the time, he taught others to play and in time, with hard work, full use of the arm returned. Realizing how close he was to losing his dream, Carter recommitted himself towards achieving his career goals in music.

Earlier albums introduced Carter to the masses, charted and collected national airplay. The third album seemed like a milestone thus Carter focused on elevating his game feeling like the time to breakthrough in a big way is now. Hitting full stride artistically, he ably demonstrates his proficiency as a player on tenor, soprano and baritone sax while constructing layers of rhythmic grooves that buttress sweet melodies and lush harmonies. Whether serenely serenading, dexterously exploring the outer limits on a meandering run or uncorking fiery wails as if his life depended upon it, Carter’s saxplay serves in the best interest of the ensnaring melodies and gripping rhythms without overstepping or over dramatizing.

While the record was being recorded, Carter issued a single to radio to stir up an appetite for the full session. The head-bopping funkster “Jammin’ On Jupiter” was one of the most added singles on the Billboard chart in its debut week. The title track opens the proceedings and is the second single heading to radio ahead of the album’s street date. Starting coyly, a knowing glance breaks into the charming “Just A Smile.” The heart-tugging “Going Home” is warmly moving and beautiful amidst a stripped down acoustic setting. “Sea Of Abaco” floats upon a soothing soprano sax wave of tranquility.

The album was recorded using Carter’s well-rehearsed live band, who challenge with complex time changes and a brisk vacillating pace on “Moving Forward,” a number that the soprano-yielding Carter describes as navigating “a bridge between straight-ahead and contemporary jazz.” Cool jazz illuminates “Wine On Eight,” a seductive happy hour social invitation while the mellow vibes continue on “Lights Down Low.” Intimacy pervades the poignant “In This Moment” before Carter & Company close the album with the rousing “Here We Go,” concluding with some of the saxman’s most feverish play on the recording.

Carter has a pair of Atlanta-area album launch concert dates booked for mid-August (Aug. 15 at Marietta Jazz & Jokes at Historic Marietta Square and Aug. 22 in Alpharetta at The Velvet Note) to help parlay the hometown momentum into national prominence. - Smooth Jazz Daily

Kenyon Carter is a US smooth jazz sax man and 'Game On' is his third full album. That he's created three long players at all is a measure of the man's tenacity and determination to succeed in a career that he loves. You see, several years back Carter was involved in a serious car crash. His right arm was severely damaged but through eight months therapy, which involved the use of a special bionic glove, the saxophonist found the ability to play again. At first he found it hard to face the public and choose to teach instead but slowly he found the strength to perform and record and two successful long players ('Right By My Side' and 'Songs For My Father') brought him renewed confidence.

That confidence is clearly evident in this new album which is named for the up-tempo, buoyant title track. 'Game On' is a pacey, soul groove enhanced by spirited guitar courtesy of special guest Chuck Loeb. Readers of a certain vintage may well be reminded of prime time Crusaders. That Crusaders feel is also evident on the looser, almost funky 'Jammin' On Juniper'.

Elsewhere on the self-produced album there are plenty of mellow summer grooves. Tunes like 'Wine On Eight' and 'Just A Smile' create a vibe that's perfect for those lazy summer days (let's hope we get some to enjoy!) Quiet Storm fans will delight in 'Lights Down Low' and 'In This Moment' and, yes, they will be categorised "smooth", but like the rest of the album they're never bland. Carter's determination to win through sees to that. - Soul and Jazz and Funk