Betty Carter sounded like no one else in jazz, with her own diction, her own phrasing and her own sense of pitch. Her rich, pure voice sounded instrumental, with curved, beautifully shaped notes. It was immediately noticeable that she was after something different, and that her technique, always extraordinary, was there to work for her ideas. It was equally clear that she was a jazz musician first and a singer second. Betty Carter: May 16, 1929 - Sept 26, 1998 Check out this performance from the

Detroit-born Betty Carter sounded like no one else in jazz, with her own diction, her own phrasing and her own sense of pitch. Her rich, pure voice sounded instrumental, with curved, beautifully shaped notes. It was immediately noticeable that she was after something different, and that her technique, always extraordinary, was there to work for her ideas. It was equally clear that she was a jazz musician first and a singer second. Disillusioned with recording contracts and their restraints, she

1996. damn near thirty years ago. whew look how nervous i am. Betty Carter Jazz Ahead changed my life. shout out to all the cats in this video - the reed sisters, jennifer vincent, andre hayward, carlos henderson, byron landham to name a few. this was a segment for CBS sunday morning. the voice you hear is the great Dr. Billy Taylor. thank you, Betty. | Nate Smith

The great Betty Carter (May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) her improvisational technique was just extraordinary, her musical spirit was phenomenal, in the first clip she is performing “Tight” in the second clip you can see her phrasing and having a conversation with the great Roy Hargrove (trumpet) not to mention all the jazz royalty in the band..the last clip (from the first clip) she is having an improvisational explosion with Brandford Marsalis (saxophone).. get inspired, now let’s go practic