Jazz Violinist Regina Carter Plays Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre 10/4

Jazz violinist Regina Carter, whose sound is marked by eclectic virtuosity, heart, and a stunning fusion of classical and modern styles, performs with her combo at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu.

Tickets, priced at $40 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787. Information is available online at arts.pepperdine.edu or www.reginacarter.com.

Carter is on a mission: to make a meaningful musical contribution and do it on her own terms. She tours with relentless purpose and a seemingly endless supply of energy. Over the past several years she and her group have brought audiences to their feet with exhilarating performances worldwide.

In 2006 she won the highly esteemed MacArthur Fellowship, which is given to individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.

In December 2001 Carter traveled to Genoa, Italy, and made history by becoming not only the first jazz musician but also the first African American to play the legendary Guarneri del Gesu violin once owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Nicolo Paganini. Less than a year later she returned to Genoa to accomplish another milestone -- using the treasured violin to record her classically infused album.

Carter's recent triumphs by no means came without paying dues as a side person and student, and they are also the result of her early musical experiences in her hometown of Detroit. Her master classes with violin giants Itzhak Perlman and Yehudi Menuhin, as well as her association as a member of the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra and with the pop-funk group Brainstorm, provided the experience needed to play with a range of artists. Carter has had the opportunity to perform with such jazz luminaries as Ray Brown, Dr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, Wynton Marsalis, and Randy Weston. She has also performed with pop music icons Dolly Parton and Billy Joel.

During the 2002-03 season Carter and her touring band began performing with numerous orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. They also performed a special engagement with the Boston Pops featuring classical virtuoso Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Celtic-music star Eileen Ivers. Together, the three violinists debuted a piece written especially for them by Chris Brubeck (Dave Brubeck's son) titled Interplay.

Just as impressive as Carter's accomplishments on stage are her performances on recordings. 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 Jones, saxophonist James Carter, Quartet Indigo led by cellist Akua Dixon, and the String Trio of New York.

Carter's influences have ranged from R&B to East Indian to classical music. As a college student, she took on a double major in classical and African American music at both the prestigious New England Conservatory and Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in performance.

Carter currently has five discs under her own name, including two on Atlantic Records, Regina Carter (1995) and Something for Grace (1997). In 1998 Carter changed record labels, and in the spring of 1999 Rhythms of the Heart debuted under the auspices of Verve Records (Universal). Her fourth CD, Motor City Moments, was released in September 2000 and is a tribute to the musical legacy of her hometown. Freefall, a collaboration with Kenny Barron, was released in the spring of 2001 and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002. Paganini: After a Dream was released in April 2003, and her latest CD, I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, made its debut in June 2006. On this disc, Carter pays homage to her late mother by performing music from the '20s, '30s, and '40s.

Her album Reverse Thread, to be released in January 2010, is a collection of infectious African folk melodies in a beautiful, contemporary interpretation. It is a celebration of the old and the new -- and that of a musician internationally acclaimed as among the most transcendent voices of contemporary violin.

This concert is supported, in part, with funds provided by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), the California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, visit arts.pepperdine.edu.

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