Ben Carter Quintet

“Pulsar”

(Self Released)

Ben Carter – alto saxophone, Conor Bastible – piano, Tom Henery – guitar, Thomas Marsh – double bass, Henry Wakley – drums

“Pulsar” is the debut recording from Ben Carter, a young alto saxophonist and composer who is a recent graduate of the Jazz Course at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

I first encountered Carter’s playing when he appeared at The Corn Exchange Jazz Club in Ross-on-Wye in February 2024 as part of a quintet led by bassist and composer Thomas Marsh, another RBC graduate.

My review of Marsh’s Ross show, which includes a look at his own debut album “What’s Wrong With Rain?” , can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/thomas-marsh-quintet-corn-exchange-jazz-club-the-corn-exchange-ross-on-wye-herefordshire-15-02-2024

Following the Marsh Quintet show I spoke to Carter who informed me that he was also a composer and bandleader and that he had just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the recording of his debut EP, which was to be titled “Pulsar”. The Jazzmann was more than happy to support Ben’s campaign with the publication of a news story, and also with a reference to the campaign in my review of Marsh’s show.

Dave Logan, who co-ordinates the jazz programme at the Corn Exchange was sufficiently impressed by Carter’s contribution to Marsh’s show that he invited the saxophonist back to Ross with his own band, with this performance taking place in May 2024. The line up featured Carter, Marsh and drummer Henry Wakley, who had all been part of Marsh’s quintet back in February. Completing the line up of the Carter Quintet were guitarist Tom Henery (who also features on Marsh’s album) and pianist Conor Bastible, thus ensuring that all of the “Pulsar” album personnel were present at Ross. Of course The Jazzmann was there too and my account of another excellent live performance can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/ben-carter-quintet-corn-exchange-jazz-club-the-corn-exchange-ross-on-wye-herefordshire-16-05-2024

Southampton born Carter cites fellow saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Chris Potter as significant influences and his performance at Ross included compositions from each of these. The Ross show also included performances of all of Carter’s tunes for “Pulsar” plus compositions by saxophonists Kamasi Washington and Danny Janklow. The only jazz standard was Carter’s adaptation of the 1930s song “The Lamp is Low”.

Other significant sources of saxophonic and compositional inspiration for Carter include Paul Desmond, Art Pepper, Charlie Parker and Snarky Puppy’s Bob Reynolds.

Carter’s Kickstarter campaign exceeded his expectations and he was actually able to record a full length album featuring five of his his original compositions. Carter’s pieces are based around regular grooves and it’s this element of repetition that informs the title “Pulsar”, with the musicians improvising in response to melodies written around a regular rhythmic pulse. But please don’t get the impression that there’s anything repetitive or boring about Carter’s music. Like Marsh he displays an impressive compositional maturity and his pieces feature strong melodies and memorable themes, but with plenty of space allocated to individual soloists.

The coolly elegant album opener “Midnight Blue” has something of the feel of a hard bop standard from the classic Blue Note era, but with a 21st century twist. It acts as the springboard for fluent and expansive solos from the leader on alto sax, the Irish born Bastible on piano and Marsh on swinging and melodic double bass. Guitarist Henery is an effective foil for the leader and Wakley delivers an impressively mature performance at the drum kit, helping to drive the music whilst also adding a wealth of nuance, colour and detail.

Marsh’s unaccompanied bass introduces “Daylight Fades”, a gentler, more lyrical offering with Carter sketching the softly sinuous melodic theme before soloing more expansively above a rhythmic backdrop that includes the sounds of arpeggiated piano and brushed drums. The impressive Bastible then takes over with a flowingly lyrical piano solo.  Marsh is featured again towards the close with a melodic, warm toned double bass solo, this followed by Carter’s restatement of the primary theme. At Ross this piece was played as the second part of a segue that had started with “Worlds Collide”, a more forceful, modally based composition by the American saxophonist Danny Janklow.  Marsh’s unaccompanied bass passage, which opens the proceedings here, had provided the link between the two items. 

Bastible introduces “Low Stakes”, a composition based around a recurring piano motif and perhaps the piece that best represents the ‘Pulsar’ idea of utilising a regular rhythmic pulse as the basis for improvisation. This is a Latin inflected piece that increases the energy levels once more as Carter solos fluently and expansively, his playing both joyous and purposeful. Henery takes his first full solo of the set, playing with an elegant fluency as Bastible provides commentary from the piano. The impressive Wakley, a distinctive presence throughout,  is also featured at the drum kit, often sounding as if he may be playing with his bare hands.

The title of “Dolores in a Shoe Stand in Bali” represents Carter’s homage to two compositions by pianists, “Dolores in a Shoe Stand” by Esbjorn Svensson (E.S.T.) and “Bali” by Joey Alexander. Appropriately it’s ushered in by Bastible, with bass and drums added to create a gently swinging groove, this providing the platform for the leader’s airy alto sax melodies. Bassist Marsh takes the first solo, underscored by the patter of Wakley’s drums and Bastible’s understated piano chording. Henery follows on guitar, his melodic inventions later supplanted by a subtly probing alto sax solo from the leader.

The album concludes with “Clamfish”, which had also ended the show at Ross. One of Carter’s most upbeat compositions is is ushered by the saxophonist himself, who builds upon the introductory theme and embarks upon an expansive opening solo. Henery also stretches out at length on his most substantial solo of the set, playing with imagination and fluency. Marsh and Wakley ensure that they are not forgotten with a bass and drum dialogue that evolves into a full on feature for the drummer. Carter subsequently returns for a closing theme statement.

There may only be five pieces but “Pulsar” clocks in at around the forty minute mark, and its duration, allied to its overall theme, or ‘concept’ if you prefer, certainly qualifies it as an ‘album’ in my book - as opposed to an ‘EP’.

Inevitably some of the pieces sound different to the way that they did at Ross, but this is the beauty of this thing we call jazz, with its focus on improvisation and creativity in the moment.

That said the points that I made in my review of the live show still apply and on this album. Carter displays an admirable maturity as both a player and a writer and his compositions are well served by his peers, the standard of the playing is excellent throughout, not just from Carter but from everybody concerned.

I’m delighted that Carter’s Kickstarter campaign was successful and that he has been able to get this music ‘out there’. I’m also pleased that The Jazzmann was able to play a small role in his success.

“Pulsar” is successful on its terms but it’s also a recording that exhibits considerable potential for the future, not just for Carter but for all the musicians involved. The performances are excellent throughout, both individually and collectively. Expect to hear a lot more from Ben Carter and from the other members of this talented young quintet.

Pulsar is available via Ben Carter’s website;
https://www.bencartersax.uk/

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