Concerts For Charity
The Gift of Music

Concert Schedule

Sunday February 29, 2004
Starfish Café

Jason Carter
from England

The Starfish Cafe
7:00 P.M., Sunday, Febraury 29, 2004
St Philip's Anglican Church Hall
629 49 Avenue Southwest Calgary

Opening Performance:
Brent Saklofske
and Radhika Chandrasekaran

General Admission at The Door:
$10.00

In support of:
Christian Child Care International
www.ccare.net

Concert Information
Denis or Wendy Grady
(403) 243-1049
wgrady@shaw.ca

Jason Carter
is a brilliant guitarist/composer who offers a broad repertoire spanning sacred, jazz, classical, flamenco and world genres. He has worked with Phil Keaggy and a host of premier classical players in Europe. His latest cd the "Colour of Silence" received an excellent review from Christianity Today. He shares a simple, honest and yet powerful message as a Christian who frequently performs on the secular stage. He is active on the European and Asian concert circuit. He comes highly recommended as a performer and a teacher and speaker, by the Christian Artists Seminar, held annually in Holland. www.continentalart.org

British guitarist Jason Carter has been playing guitar since the age of 9. He is predominantly self-taught but has attended master classes with guitarists John Williams and Paco Peña at the Royal Academy of Music.

His style is an eclectic mix of Flamenco, Jazz and Classical Guitar, and this has been demonstrated through the wide range of CDs that Jason has produced for Sony, EMI, ASV and ARC Music. From original solo guitar compositions, to Indian/Arabic Fusion, Classical Chamber Music, Jazz arrangements and Techno/Dance Music with DJs. Jason has also appeared alongside Larry Coryell, Trilok Gurtu and Hapriprasad Chaurasia on the ARC Music Compilation ‘Crossing Borders’, and recorded with artists such as Nick Beggs, Phil Keaggy, Máire Brennan and Hossam Ramzy.

Jason performs internationally, mainly as a solo guitarist, but also collaborates with artists from Ireland, China, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, Lapland and Africa. He has always maintained strong artistic links with the Middle East and was the co-founder of the ‘Bahrain International Guitar Festival’. In 2001 Jason received a Music Award from the Crown Prince of Bahrain alongside 4 Arabic Artists, and more recently went to Pakistan to perform for President Musharaff. In 2000 Jason also performed the famous Guitar ‘Concerto de Aranjuez’ (Joaquin Rodrigo) with Orchestras in Finland, Ireland and the UK, and will also perform this work in 2004 with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with artists such as Nigel Kennedy, Antonio Forcione, Gordon Giltrap, Dominic Miller and Babik Reinhardt. In 2004 Jason will perform with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in Hong Kong, a specially commissioned piece for Guitar and Traditional Chinese Instrument-Orchestra.

"A Cross-Cultural Triumph" HMV Music Magazine

‘To define Jason’s music is difficult. It has been called fusion, which seems to be a term tagged onto cookery, interior design and dance these days when often it covers up a mess. Not so with Carter. Yes, it is a mélange of flamenco, jazz and classical guitar, but he does for flamenco guitar what Joaquin Cortes does for flamenco dancing – inject it with vitality and stamp it with his own personality. As HMV Music Magazine says, Carter is a ‘cross-cultural triumph’.
Scene Magazine, Dubai

‘A unique blend of harmony, reflection, and emotion, a bundle of talent’
Amazon.com

"Inspiring melodies, marvelous improvisation, this guy is hot!"
La Prensa Music, Los Angeles

"The heavenly meeting of East and West through the fine fingers of Jason Carter"
Bombay Times

"At last, new frontiers for the instrument of OUR country, played by an ENGLISHMAN!!" Antena Music, Madrid

‘A Cross Cultural Triumph!’
HMV Music Magazine

"Jazz-influenced Flamenco dancing through vast acoustic landscapes"
Durban Times

Recent Reviews
‘There's a reason why Jason Carter's skills often recall those of guitar master Phil Keaggy—the two have played together on a number of occasions. Phil's unmistakable style does in fact appear on The Colour of Silence during the evocative guitar duet "When Heaven Smiles," but it does not overshadow Jason's considerable skill. In fact, the fancy fingerwork of this British born guitarist (now a resident of Holland) is immediately evident on the opening track, "Alabama," and runs the gamut over the album—from fusion jazz to classical to Flamenco. As an instrumentalist, Jason's faith in Christ does not leap into your ear the way a pop song would, but, behind the scenes, Jason's ministry is pretty incredible. He regularly tours the Middle East, Pakistan, and China, reaching out to the unchurched in secular venues and often ministering to Muslims after concerts in their homeland. Now that's living faith out loud! Because of his unique music ministry, Jason incorporates world music elements into a unique Hindu and Arabic fusion style on a couple of tracks—"India" is in fact a stunning seventeen-minute ethnic jam session that was amazingly recorded in one take. Most incredible of all, Jason is mostly self-taught, though he has taken classes under guitar greats John Williams and Paco Pena. I don't say this lightly—if you like listening to Phil Keaggy's instrumental recordings, or simply enjoy stunning guitar music, you have got to hear this guy.’ Review for Jason Carter’s new CD ‘The Colour of Silence’ FUSION GUITAR WITH CLASSICAL AND WORLD MUSIC
Christianity Today Magazine USA

If the name of musician Jason Carter is a new one to you, be aware that there is another Jason Carter who is an actor. Jason Carter, actor, is famous for being on the science fiction television series, "Babylon 5." Jason Carter, guitarist, works in Great Britain and has studied guitar with John Williams, Paco Pena, and John Mills. Carter's style combines flamenco with classical and Indian Ragas. "Alabama" is a mixture of flamenco with down home. The basic beat is country while flamenco rides atop. "When Heaven Smiles" (with Carter and Phil Keaggy), on the other hand, flows soft and easy. There is a supporting bass with guitar riding along like a boat on waves. The instruments compliment each other and the composition ends similar to the ending of a hymn. "Kinshasa" begins with a chanting group that combines an East Indian influence with flamenco. Listening to this piece is like riding on a slow train and passing through villages catching snatches of songs. "Celebracao de Vida" has long riffs, flamenco style, and is clear and incisive. This piece is akin to "The Colour of Silence", though "Colour" has a running bass at times and a 4-chord repeated statement that says through the music, "Here I come." "Requiem" (composer Dick Lemair) has a slow, rocking background of 1-2-3-4, similar to a barcarole. The piece is melancholy and reflective. It is in "India," an elongated jam session that Carter shares with Sharafat Ali, Sunil Das, Rajinder Singh, and Lars Frandsen, where it all comes together. This is "90 percent improvised and recorded on first take." Just sit back and enjoy as you are taken to the Middle East, Spain, and back on the longest piece on the CD. Sometimes, these are the best of times. Jason Carter, guitarist, is a name to be reckoned with. Review for Jason Carter’s new CD ‘The Colour of Silence’ FUSION GUITAR WITH CLASSICAL AND WORLD MUSIC
Phantom Tollbooth Radio, USA

Concert Information
Denis or Wendy Grady
(403) 243-1049
wgrady@shaw.ca