{"title":"Betty Carter","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eBorn Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan in 1929, Betty Carter transformed jazz singing by treating her voice as an improvisational instrument equal to any horn, earning Carmen McRae's declaration that \"there's really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter\". After studying piano at Detroit Conservatory, she sat in with Charlie Parker as a teenager before joining Lionel Hampton's band in 1948. Hampton nicknamed her \"Betty Bebop\" and fired her seven times over two years for her fierce independence and refusal to abandon improvisation for his swing style, but this period honed the saxophone-like vocal approach that defined her career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eAfter leaving Hampton in 1951, Carter worked with Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Sonny Rollins whilst developing her singular style of scat singing and melodic reimagination. Frustrated with major label dealings, she founded Bet-Car Records in 1969, becoming one of jazz's first independent label owners. Her landmark double album \u003cem\u003eThe Audience with Betty Carter\u003c\/em\u003e (1980) captured her remarkable live prowess, whilst 1988's \u003cem\u003eLook What I Got! \u003c\/em\u003ewon a Grammy. Equally legendary as mentor alongside Art Blakey, her trios launched careers for Geri Allen, Cyrus Chestnut, Christian McBride, and Stephen Scott. She founded Jazz Ahead in 1993 to nurture young musicians, received the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1992 and National Medal of Arts in 1997, performing until her death in 1998.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"betty-carter-the-modern-sound-of-betty-carter-1977-japanese-abc-paramount-mono-lp","title":"Betty Carter - The Modern Sound Of Betty Carter (1977 Japanese ABC-Paramount Mono LP)","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"1061\" data-end=\"1214\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: EX\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: VG+\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObi:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eNone\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur grading system explained \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBetty Carter - \u003cem\u003eThe Modern Sound Of Betty Carter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - 1977 Japanese ABC-Paramount Mono Reissue\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetty Carter's distinctive approach to jazz singing, emphasising rhythmic complexity, harmonic sophistication, and fearless improvisation, is showcased across 12 standards on this album. Originally released in the early 1960s and reissued in Japan in 1977 by ABC-Paramount through Nippon Columbia, this mono pressing captures Carter transforming songs like \"What A Little Moonlight Can Do\", \"Stormy Weather\", and the self-penned \"Jazz (Ain't Nothin' But Soul)\" into vehicles for her unique vocal artistry. Arranged and conducted by Richard Wess with production by Sid Feller, the album demonstrates why Carter became known as \"the musicians' singer\", her ability to bend and phrase melodies with bebop fluency earning respect from instrumentalists and vocalists alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarter's approach differs dramatically from conventional vocal jazz. Rather than simply singing melodies prettily, she treats songs as frameworks for improvisation, stretching time, delaying phrasing, and reharmonising melodies with the freedom of a horn player. This makes her recordings challenging but rewarding, requiring the same active listening as instrumental jazz. On tracks like \"Mean To Me\" and \"Remember\", Carter's rhythmic displacement and harmonic substitutions demonstrate why she influenced generations of jazz singers from Cassandra Wilson to Esperanza Spalding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Japanese mono pressing offers collectors a quality edition of Carter's early work, before she founded her own Bet-Car label and achieved greater recognition in the 1970s-80s. Nippon Columbia's manufacturing ensures sound quality befitting Carter's sophisticated vocal approach, capturing both her powerful delivery and subtle nuances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ABC-Paramount","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43134059675707,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_5728.jpg?v=1768532355"}],"url":"https:\/\/lushliferecords.com.au\/collections\/betty-carter.oembed","provider":"Lush Life Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}