Southern Comfort Regina Carter

• 1Miner's Child05:01
• 2Trampin'02:11
• 3Hickory Wind04:37
• 4Shoo-Rye07:20
• 5Blues de Basile04:39
• 6I'm Going Home07:12
• 7Honky Tonkin'03:52
• 8Cornbread Crumbled in Gravy04:11
• 9See See Rider05:13
• 10I Moaned and I Moaned03:33
• 11Death Have Mercy / Breakaway08:21
• Total Runtime56:10

Info for Southern Comfort

Violinist Regina Carter is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation - a designation which doesn't quite paint the picture. As a result of her curiosity, passion, and quest for beauty brought to every stop taken on her full musical journey, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (a 'genius grant'). Those are more apparent than ever on her debut „Southern Comfort“, in which she explores the folk music of the South.

Southern Comfort thematically connects Carter's earlier albums I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey (2006), which features her mother's favorite early jazz standards; and Reverse Thread (2010) which celebrates the tradition of African music re-imagined for violin, accordion, bass, drams and kora. On her new album she explores the folk tunes her paternal grandfather, a coalminer, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama - and the project expanded to include other folk tunes of the region.

Intent on making the past, present, Regina sought out distant relatives and books about the era in which her grandfather lived. From there, she went to the Library of Congress and the renowned collections of folklorists such as Alan Lomax and John Work III digging deep into their collected field recordings from Appalachia. On Southern Comfort, Regina interprets her own roots through a modern lens.

'When I would hear some of these field recordings, if I heard something that touched me I put it on the list,' said Carter. 'I had maybe 50 tunes that I felt strongly about, and I finally forced myself to work more on those to stop myself from collecting more.'

The 11 tracks on Southern Comfort include Carter's interpretations of Cajun fiddle music, early gospel and coal miner's work songs in addition to some more contemporary tunes.

'In the Appalachians there were Scottish and Irish descendants, slaves and Native Americans. It was a cultural hodgepodge and the music resulting from it is intoxicating. This disc was to pay homage to my family,' said Carter, 'but it turned out to be so much more.'

The musicians on this recording bring a different mixture of backgrounds to the project, including guitarists Adam Rogers and Marvin Sewell, bassists Chris Lightcap and Jesse Murphy, accordionist Will Holshouser and drummer Alvester Garnett, who also provided arrangements. Stefon Harris, Xavier Davis and Nate Smith also contributed arrangements, about which Carter expressed, 'Each arranger brings out something musically that's unique to them which speaks to me.'

On being signed to Sony Music Masterworks, Carter adds, 'I'm so excited to work with a label that has such history; it's the perfect place for this project. Moreover, it's wonderful to be reunited with U.S. label head Chuck Mitchell. I've provided Southern Comfort - the nurturance and comfort Chuck and SONY have provided covers a realm far greater.'

Regina Carter
is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation; she is also a MacArthur Fellow (and a recipient of the famed “genius grant”). Drawing from a diverse well of influences which include classical, jazz, Motown, swing, funk, and world music among others, Carter was born in Detroit and began studying piano at age two before taking up the violin. Her earliest training was in classical music, but an interest in jazz eventually took over.

In 1987, she joined the all-female pop-jazz quintet Straight Ahead and appeared on their first three albums before leaving the band in 1991 and moving to New York, where she picked up session work with artists including Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Max Roach and Oliver Lake. She released her self-titled solo album on Atlantic in 1995, followed by Something for Grace, an album dedicated to her mother and released in 1997. Carter also toured with Wynton Marsalis that same year, then switched to the Verve label where she released Rhythms of the Heart in 1999. Motor City Moments, a tribute to her hometown, followed in 2000.

In December 2001, she traveled to Genoa, Italy, and made musical history by being the first jazz musician and the first African American to play the legendary Guarneri Del Gesu violin, made in 1743 and owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini. This encounter inspired her 2003 album, Paganini: After a Dream, which featured works by Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and Italian film composer Ennio Morricone. She recorded I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey in 2006 as a tribute to her late mother. That same year Carter was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship, given to a highly select group who “show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work.”

Reverse Thread, released in May 2010, was a celebration of traditional African music via a contemporary perspective. Carter also took her pioneering spirit on the road in the late summer and fall of 2012 for a two-month world tour with rock icon Joe Jackson’s stellar ensemble in support of his release The Duke, a collection of interpretations of Duke Ellington’s work.

Carter continues her musical quest for beauty and history with her SONY Music Masterworks debut Southern Comfort, in which she investigates her family history and explores the folk tunes her paternal grandfather, a coalminer, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama. The expanded project includes a blend of folk songs and spirituals, serving as Carter’s interpretation of her roots through a modern lens.

Said Chuck Mitchell, Senior Vice President of SONY Masterworks, "We're tremendously pleased to have the incomparable Regina Carter with us at Masterworks. Her musical odyssey has been charted through a series of unforgettable recordings over the years and Southern Comfort is the latest and perhaps the most eloquent expression of her deep and profoundly enlightening musical humanity.”

Southern Comfort was released on March 4, 2014 and is currently touring in support of the release.

Booklet for Southern Comfort