I first heard of Jason Carter several years ago when I saw a video of he and POM (also a "Guitar Gods" interviewee) performing Chick Corea's "Children's Song #6". I dashed off to find more about this fantastic player, and have enjoyed listening to his music and watching his career since.
Largely self-taught, Carter later attended master classes with the likes of Paco Pena, John Williams, Vishnu Sanju Sahai, and others to study classical guitar, flamenco music, & Indian music, while teaching and performing. That performance schedule has grown, and Jason finds himself traveling all over Europe, the US, the middle east, and more, playing not only his nylon-string guitar, but his steel-string and harp guitars. So far, he has been to some 70 countries - including Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, and other areas many performers shy away from - to perform, collaborate, teach, and learn, winning awards and fans along the way.
With 14 albums plus collaborations with Michael Manring, Dominic Miller (Sting), Phil Keaggy, and more, as well as compilation appearances alongside such a diverse group as Alan Holdsworth, Ozzy Osbourne, John Scofield, Joe Satriani, Trey Gunn, and many others, Jason has certainly established himself as a major player on the scene.
I had a chance to chat recently with Jason - check it out! =====
1) What are your current projects?
Right now I am working on a new Harp Guitar CD, in fact my first Harp Guitar CD! I love the instrument, so many possibilites with the increased sustain and the extra bass. Like many Harp Guitar players, I came to the instrument via Michael Hedges and his Video 'Because Its There'.
2) How does this (do these) differ from your past work?
Well in a way I am going back to my roots as a solo player. But recently I have been experimenting with loops and samples, as in the 'Helsinki Project' (2007, Naim Audio UK). I have always enjoyed working with artists from other cultures, and I have traveled extensively, almost 80 countries, collaborating with people mainly from the Middle East and Asia. So this project is really back to the solo instrument, playing with silence, and creating spaces, stories and atmosphered. Not in a 'New Age' sense, but in colours and atmospheres from the various cultures I have lived and experienced.
3) Do you have one project that you are most proud of as a guitarist?
As a guitarist....I think this coming project. Most artists generally move on to new things pretty quickly, at least I do, so the new stuff is always the best! But I should mention a CD where I played Bocherini Guitar Quintets with the Bingham String Quartet (ASV Records 1998), pure Classical music, challenging and a completely different discipline than I am used to.
4) Can you give our readers a run-down of your basic gear (live and/or studio), and do you have a favorite piece of gear?
YES! I have just invested in a GREAT audio interface, the Apogee Ensemble. I could talk for hours about how excited I am about Apogee gear, not just because I am one of their artists, but it means that I can take my Neumann KM184 Mics, the Violet Design Stereo Flamingo Mic anywhere and record. The sound is lush, warm and precise. I use the Apogee Duet for live gigs with my MacBook Pro via Logic/Mainstage, as the Harp Guitar has a K and K Stereo pickup, 3 transducers each for the Bass and Guitar sections. For years I played a pure acoustic Antonio Marin Montero Guitar from Granada, Spain, and rarely did I ever have a good sound, as you are always relying on mics, PA and a good sound person. Now I have more control over the sound and have presets in Mainstage for each tune. I mainly use the Space Designer, EQ and sometimes a little Chorus. I can also pan the Bass of the Harp Guitar a little to the right or left to give a stereo image. Other gear...Boss RC50 Loop station, an Asturias Classical Guitar which I have made fretless. A Finnish Electric Guitar by Jaako Laiho with Seymour Duncan Pickups, and a lovely old Orange Amp. I am not really an electric player but I do use it from time to time. I string everything with D'Addario strings, have been with then for years, the EXP are fab on my Stephen Sedgwick Harp Guitar.
5) Who would you cite as early influences, and who are you favorite new players?
Early influences were bands such as Iron Maiden, The Police, Saxon, Twisted Sister, Kiss - I grew up in the 80s! But as I got more into Classical Guitar in my teens, Paco De Lucia, John McLaughlin, Birelli Lagrene, John Williams and Julian Bream. Out of these guys I still listen to McLaughlin as I seem to move in the same way as he in terms of colour and atmospher, but you know, these days I listen to all kinds of stuff, and I would cite artists such as Björk, Arvo Pärt, Joni Mitchell and William Orbit to be people that influence me, as I am more interested in the abstract expression of life as opposed to guitar technique these days. But new players such as Petteri Sariola really inspire me. And of course, the long term affection for the musicianship and playing of the late Michael Hedges.
6) Can you give a few tips to aspiring players?
Yes! Play slowly and clearly, listen to yourself, and whilst you should always push your limits, try to express yourself well within your limits, for then, your compositions will be clear, strong, precise, and real. In EVERY concert I have EVER played, it is the most simple melodies that people remember, and also pieces that mean something, expressions of real life, stuff that all of us can relate to. And as a performer, treat the audience like family, the stage as your home, and your pieces like stories. This will make you a great performer.
7) What are your future plans?
I am starting a Guitar School in the South of France where I am now living, and focusing less on International touring, as this can be really tiring long term, especially as a solo artist. Of course I love playing, and I am hiding away this spring working on new Harp Guitar pieces, and experimenting with a Rock Drummer, Loops, Loop Station. Harp Guitar and Drums, great fun!!!
8) How long have you played Harp Guitar, and what brought you to it?
Oh, since May 2008, when I bought this one from Stephen Sedgwick in the UK. Michael Hedges brought me to the HG, but there are so many interesting players now, all with different techniques and approaches, its fascinating!
9) Your duet with POM was amazing, as was your ensemble work in Kabul. You've worked quite a bit in the past with some amazing players (including "Guitar Gods" interviewee Phil Keaggy) Any more plans to do duets or ensemble work with other musicians...and do you have a "wish list" of artists with whom you'd like top collaborate or perform?
Oh wow. POM is a great friend and we are always talking of projects, but we just haven't gotten around to it! Phil Keaggy is a wonderful player and person and would love to collaborate again. But here in France, there are some great guitarists such as John McLaughlin (Monaco) and Pierre Bensusan. I am always open to new ideas, and sometimes they come very quickly, these are always the best and most successful in my opinion. I love Iranian music and I am always seeking new collaborations there, and there are some great artists down the road in Marseille....I will take a trip there soooooon!
10) Can you tell us a little about your work as a "Peace Ambassador"?
Of course. Since I performed in Bahrain in 2000, to a mix of Sunni and Shia Muslims, not realizing that these guys had been fighting for years just before, and some of these guys had not been in the same room together for years, before this concert, it hit me hard and fast, that music is a magical bridge builder. Especially as a foreigner, as you have no 'Cultural Baggage' attached to the local society. Since then I have actively sought concerts and collaborations in the more restricted areas of the world, places such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Saudi, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and so on. In North Korea for instance, I performed to 3000 people 5 nights in a row, and not even a high ranking Diplomat or official would be able to address any number of North Koreans in public, but as a musician..... I don't really believe that world peace is possible, but I do believe there is lot we can do in terms of building bridges between people, caring for people, and music is an international language. I am currently working alongside Cafe Diplo in Singapore as their Peace Ambassador, and we have plans to do shows in Palestine and various countries in South East Asia this year.
11) Thanx for talking to us, Jason!
It has been an absolute pleasure! Feel free to email me your thoughts, questions and suggestions, I love to chat! Cheers!
