Classical Californians: Regina Carter

Chris Drukker

Our Classical Californian this week is jazz violinist Regina Carter – who’s a new faculty member at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of music… She‘s going to share some of the music that’s accompanied her from when she was a four-year-old violin student to where she is today. That includes some of the pioneers of the jazz violin, including Eddie South and Ray Nance, along with a couple of takes on a Debussy tune, a dynamic women's string orchestra from Cuba, plus Saint-Saëns, Orff, Arvo Pärt and more!

She begins with one of her jazz violin heroes, Eddie South, playing his version of Fritz Kreisler's "Praeludium and Allegro."

Then it's a double dose of Debussy, with his work originally for piano called "Reverie" - (here in a piano roll performance by Frederico Bufaletti) and then Ella Fitzgerald's take on it.

Up next, the all-women chamber orchestra from Cuba called Carerata Romeu recorded this piece, "Camerata en Guanguanco," based on traditional Cuban rhythms.

The hauntingly beautiful Fratres by Arvo Pärt is next, with violinist Gidon Kremer and pianist Keith Jarrett.

Then another of her jazz violin predecessors, Ray Nance, featured as the soloist in this section of Duke Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige called "Come Sunday."

Regina Carter's experience as a violinist was partially shaped by experiencing Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana as a young orchestra player.

Another tune she discovered (and fell in love with) at a young age was Saint-Saëns "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals.

And finally, music by Aaron Copland, from his ballet Billy the Kid, "Billy's Death."