The Black Arts with A. Grace Lee Mims is heard Wednesdays at 10:00PM

Regina Carter—She Changed Her Mind

Regina Carter grew up in Detroit, Michigan with aspirations of becoming a classical violinist. There she attended the prestigious Cass Technical High School and upon graduating, she departed for the New England Conservatory of Music. It was there that a friend and jazz singer introduced her to Ella Fitzgerald and other luminaries of the jazz world. From there she was hooked. She eventually found her way back to Detroit to join the all-female jazz quartet "Straight Ahead". After two recordings with them on the Atlantic label, Carter left the band in 1994 in search of a solo career.

As a struggling violinist in Detroit, she paid her dues as a side player while she honed her craft doing master classes with Itzhak Perlman and Yehudi Menuhin and playing with the Detroit Civic Symphony and the pop-funk group, "Brainstorm".

Carter moved to New York City and found work in the studio and working with Max Roach, the String Trio of New York, and the Uptown String Quartet before recording her self-titled debut recording on Atlantic in 1995.

In 2001, Carter traveled to Genoa, Italy and became the first jazz musician albeit the first African American to play the legendary Guarneri del Gesu violin owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Nicolo Paganini. Less than a year later, Carter returned to accomplish another milestone; using the treasured violin to record her classical-infused album.

As she has climbed the latter the success, her accomplishments on stage have been as prolific as those on record. Included in her discography, along with recordings with Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill are recordings with vocalists Cassandra Wilson and Carmen Lundy, trombonist Steve Turre, pianists Kenny Barron and Danilo Perez, guitarist Rodney Joes, saxophonist James Carter, Quartet Indigo, led by cellist Akua Dixon and the String Trio of New York.

As a signature to her accomplishments, with the help of the RS Berkeley Co, Inc. and in collaboration with Carter there is now the Regina Carter Signature Series Violin Collection emulating the Guarneri and Stadivari design.

Regina Carter will be featured on The Black Arts on Wednesday, December 30th at 10.00 p.m.

The Black Arts-National City Artist of the Month is presented with the sponsorship of National City, now a part of PNC, dedicated to supporting the communities they serve.

Previous Black Arts-National City Artists of the Month

November 2009—Wynton Marsalis

October 2009—Kathleen Battle

September 2009—Vinson Cole

August 2009—Branford Marsalis

July 2009—Barbara Hendricks

June 2009—George Walker

May 2009—Shirley Verrett

April 2009—Duke Ellington

March 2009—Jessye Norman

February 2009—Marian Anderson

January 2009—Danielle Belén