by Adam Darbyshire

The maestro strikes again! In collaboration with chart-topping gospel icon Ricky Dillard, Ron Carter pays tribute to his late mother, Willie May, through a collection of her favorite hymns and spirituals on his latest release Sweet, Sweet Spirit.

Of course, jazz’s roots in gospel and sacred music run deep. From black spiritual traditions to the musical explorations in religion and spirituality of John Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams, and Duke Ellington, spiritual expression has always had a home within the jazz idiom. Whether you worship a single deity, many, or simply find meaning in the music itself, Sweet, Sweet Spirit speaks a language we can all understand.

On Sweet, Sweet Spirit, Carter trades in his usual horn section for a choir. Ricky Dillard’s New G Chorale takes center stage, with soloists like Avery Sunshine and Krisman Evans featured throughout, as Carter’s improvisational bass interjections weave their way through the mix. And you’ll want to turn the bass all the way up, because Ron Carter doesn’t miss a single beat. 

From the get-go, an electrifying arrangement of the 1895 hymn “Open My Eyes,” followed by another hymnal standard in “Everybody Will Be Happy” set the tone, launches the record into motion. Ron Carter shines on the swingin’ “Farther Along” as well as the classic hymn “In the Garden,” which opens with his unmistakable "Carterisms" front and center in a solo introduction.

Closing out with the reflective and gradually swelling title track “Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” this record, at its core, is gospel music in its most pure and heartfelt form. More than that, it stands as a loving dedication to Carter’s mother and the hymns that laid the groundwork for his musical upbringing.

Sweet, Sweet Spirit is now available to own and stream.