We’ve spent five minutes with the likes of Alice Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan and Wayne Shorter; now, we’re taking time to highlight Betty Carter, the transcendent vocalist whose intricate phrasing and live improvisational skills made her a prominent figure in jazz, and whose mentorship of younger musicians fostered a new generation of like-minded singers and instrumentalists to craft music in her image. An entrepreneur, she started her own label, Bet-Car Records, in 1969 because of frustrations with the music business amid diminished interest in jazz, and released some of her most revered work through the imprint. Case in point: Four contributors this month chose songs from “The Audience With Betty Carter,” her epic 1980 album that properly showcased her mastery of performance and is considered one of the best jazz LPs of all time.
Almost four decades earlier, as a teenager, Carter cut her teeth as a member of Lionel Hampton’s band, a gig she held for three years. Even then, her power shone through: Carter had a singular tone that sounded like a trumpet or saxophone, which led to Hampton nicknaming her “Betty Bebop,” a nod to the subgenre of jazz being created in New York. She left the band in 1951 and re-emerged as a one-of-a-kind vocalist, working with Miles Davis and Ray Charles before releasing her debut album, “Out There,” in 1958.
If you want to know how important Carter became to jazz before her death in 1998, at age 69, think of the people who played in her bands along the way: Billy Hart, Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette, Cecil McBee, Mulgrew Miller and so many others. Now, as always, Carter is a cornerstone for artists of all sorts, an example of how staying true to nonconformity can lead to dynamic results.
Below you’ll find a guide to Carter’s music, courtesy of 10 musicians and writers who consider her a north star. You can find a playlist at the bottom of the article, and be sure to leave your own favorites in the comments.
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Angélika Beener, writer, podcast host and D.J.
“Most Gentlemen Don’t Like Love”
When it comes to romance, no one renders a cautionary tale quite like Betty Carter. While her self-penned “Tight” is currently the most famous and widely covered words-to-the-wise composition in her repertoire, Carter made this rarer Cole Porter gem a classic with her singular treatment. During her 1992 performance from Jazz at Lincoln Center (first released in 2019), her fantastic trio swings behind her as she gives a comical preamble to the audience. “I didn’t have a thing to do with these lyrics,” she says, playfully absolving herself from the stinging words she’s about to deliver while simultaneously dedicating it “to the men.” “It’s just my concept,” she casually adds.
Indeed, Carter is a conceptual genius and unparalleled storyteller, using her vocal gifts and astonishing melodic choices to lay bare the intentions of “most gentlemen.” Her description of what men really want has the audience (and her) audibly giggling throughout, as she wittily sings the racy, chromatically structured phrases. At 63, she’s heard at the height of her powers here, seasoned to perfection and finally getting her just praises. Her wholehearted joy oozes from her heart to yours, and you can’t help but smile — and, at times, clutch your pearls.
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Melanie Charles, musician and producer
“Jazz (Ain’t Nothin’ but Soul)”
As a teenager, I was always a Sarah or Ella type of girl. Betty was too avant-garde for me, maybe even a bit scary. It was only a few years ago that I began to understand what Betty was doing. In the anthem “Jazz (Ain’t Nothin’ but Soul),” Betty settles the age-old debate, “What is jazz?” Like a master storyteller, Betty sings the song as if she wrote it herself, even though it was penned by Norman Mapp. The way Betty plays with the lyrics and rhythm with so much freedom illustrates how jazz is simply our culture: It’s grits, it’s hardship, it’s love, it’s passion, it’s a blazing horn section. It’s honest and it is everything. Cats say Betty was known to be fiery and daring, sensual and free. It’s refreshing to be able to hear all of this in her approach. Although my personal mantra is to “serve the music and forget the rest,” it’s still so easy to get lost in the sauce of what this music is “supposed” to be. However, when I return to Betty singing the lyric, “For me, jazz is all the truth to be found/Never mind who’s putting it down,” it reminds me of that fearless young girl from Brooklyn falling in love with jazz.
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Keanna Faircloth, writer and podcast host
“My Favorite Things”
Betty Carter’s take on “My Favorite Things” from “The Audience With Betty Carter” is a master class in bandstand domination. This version is unforgettable, recorded live in 1979 at Bradshaw’s Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and released independently on Bet-Car Records. At first, Betty plays with time like a toy, daring her band to stay vigilant. And they do, especially the bassist Curtis Lundy, who goes from walking the bass line to sprinting, keeping pace with her fierce energy. It’s like a game of musical tag, and she’s definitely “it.” She simultaneously pulls the audience in, making every word count with a magnetism only she can deliver. It’s no surprise that Lundy, the pianist John Hicks and the drummer Kenny Washington went on to carve out their own paths in jazz. They didn’t just play with her — they learned from a master. Betty, a.k.a. Ms. B.C., didn’t just reinterpret Rodgers and Hammerstein; she transformed it, giving jazz vocalists everywhere the green light to make any genre their playground. This rendition of “My Favorite Things” isn’t just an album highlight; it’s a cultural moment, showcasing why she was one of the ultimate boss ladies of jazz.
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Samara Joy, vocalist
“Deep Night”
I’m endlessly inspired by Betty Carter’s creativity throughout “The Audience With Betty Carter” and, particularly, through this song. Tension and release allows every song of hers to flow organically with an energy that’s difficult to imitate. When hearing the original version of this obscure standard compared to Carter’s, I couldn’t believe how different they were. I also couldn’t believe how much musical exploration she was able to fit in just 2 minutes and 36 seconds. She uses a feel similar to that of a march, which, along with the harmonic choices, carries the mystery and tension from the start. Suddenly, we’re being waltzed through the next section of the song, Carter’s fluid phrasing parallel to the changing feel. Just when you think you know where the song is headed, a neck-breaking tempo ensues, brought on by the entire band at once, as if they were reading each other’s minds. It settles down once again in 3/4 time as Carter re-enters before returning to the march. Every song she touches, she makes it her own and shapes it in ways others couldn’t even begin to imagine. I’m forever inspired by her musicality and genius.
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Jazzmeia Horn, singer and songwriter
“You Go to My Head”
The lyrics, by Haven Gillespie, convey a person affected by someone in such a manner that they feel consumed, as one would with excessive alcohol. The one who tells the story could never have the only person that they are affected by, and has to live in perpetual pleasure and punishment. Betty Carter sings it as if she were living it in the studio. She enters the piece lagging far behind the band (like a drunkard), as opposed to singing the melody where the composer placed it in the measure. She then continues to do this for the entire piece, staying so far behind until the very last fraction of the moment, making the story truly her own ministry. It is erratically beautiful. One must know the melody, lyrics, and chord changes so well to not get lost beyond complete collapse.
This was the first album of hers that I happened to transcribe from start to finish. For the first time in my life I understood what freedom truly meant, and Betty Carter made me aware that I was never entirely free.
Afterward, I began to take my artistry much more seriously.
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Adi Meyerson, bassist and composer
“Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”
I remember hearing this recording for the first time and thinking, “I want to move through life with the same simultaneous freedom and control Betty Carter has when she sings a melody.”
I think about that feeling often, both in relation to music and life.
That’s kind of her superpower, in a way. She has so much control over her voice and the music itself that when the time comes to create, she is able to let it all go and move so freely in and out of the song, creating this elasticity with every element of the music and her voice. She is the queen of tension and release.
When researching this recording, I learned that the rhythm section on this tune is Bob Cranshaw on bass, Roy McCurdy on drums and Harold Mabern on piano. I’ve had the great honor of studying, playing and simply experiencing the music and presence of all three of those musicians, and it got me thinking about lineage and mentorship, which Betty was very vocal about the importance of. I feel very lucky that I am able to have experienced that and be part of that lineage in whatever capacity possible.
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Nate Smith, drummer and bandleader
“Sounds (Movin’ On)”
This track clocks in at over 25 minutes, but you’ll only need the first five to fall in love with the supernova at the center. Documented live in 1979 in San Francisco, this recording boasts an all-star rhythm section — John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Across various tempo and meter changes — a peppy intro, a floating 5/4, a blastoff into a 4/4 burnout, a drumless waltz, a funky, lean mid-tempo swing — we witness the simultaneous tightness and looseness of this shape-shifting group. This band achieves a “working band” sound while remaining very much in the moment, ears wide open.
Betty is the sun around which these three planets revolve, conducting dynamics from top to bottom. This record is the sound of a virtuoso joyfully throwing her musical weight around the bandstand. As hard as this rhythm section swings, she makes it swing even harder! This recording is a monument to the dexterity of Betty’s voice, her incredible pocket, the openness of her ears and her fearlessness as an improviser and bandleader. Betty Carter is everything, everywhere all at once.
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Marc Cary, composer and musician
“I Love Music”
Betty Carter was my mentor and boss for 2 ½ years, with a few callbacks and a chance to participate in the beginning of the mentoring and residency program Jazz Ahead.
Betty Carter was a great singer and bandleader who shared the stage with young musicians like myself. I first met her when she called me to an audition for her group. During the rehearsal she asked me if I had my passport and a suit. I said I was about to get my passport and I’m getting a suit. Post-audition, she took me to the passport agency and fast tracked my passport, and then took me to get a suit that fit.
Soon after that we were in a six-week tour of one-nighters. A different city or country every day.
Betty was always recounting what happened the night before and ensuring we got better. She heard everything we played or didn’t play. It was an intense period, getting to understand what she needed for her music, but rewarding for me. I was on my toes at all times on and off the bandstand. One thing I will always remember is Betty telling us not to entertain for free as we were laughing in the airport. She said, you’re always onstage.
I was able to record a great live record with her called “Droppin’ Things.” it was a great experience filled with lessons I am still learning. I give thanks that people are still excited about her great contribution to art and jazz and business.
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Monifa Brown, radio broadcaster
“Tight”
Betty Carter was fearless and demanded unflagging excellence and commitment to the music. Always testing the limits, she could leave you on the edge of your seat as she commanded with the entirety of her body. A slight hand gesture, a penetrating stare, or a note between the notes was all she needed to summon a stormy groove or hush it to silence. A record-label entrepreneur, she had an indefatigable sense of urgency on the bandstand and with her Jazz Ahead initiative. Like Art Blakey, she was pivotal in launching the careers of generations of bandleaders.
Carter’s bold and spontaneous live performances encapsulated everything a jazz musician should and could be. Her 1979 performance of “Tight” is a prime example of her majestic hold on the music. Carter’s flawless diction and crisp intonation tease and please as she dances around the stop-time stabs laid down by the pianist John Hicks, the bassist Curtis Lundy and the “Jazz Maniac,” Kenny Washington, on drums. Carter was fond of singing and talking about relationships; this time she preaches the art of holding onto a man. It’s no wonder why the Grammy-winning sensation Samara Joy recorded “Tight” nearly four decades later, undoubtedly a testament to Carter’s enduring influence across generations.
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Xavier Davis, pianist, composer and professor
“Look What I Got”
Betty Carter’s “Look What I Got” is one of my all-time favorite songs, and the first I ever heard her sing. Betty was a master of swing — she absolutely loved it — and she knew how to make it feel both timeless and fresh. She pushed her rhythm sections to think outside the box, creating something unique that matched the emotion of the piece. Her demand for an authentic swing feel was deeply rooted in the rich history of jazz, while always pushing toward the future. On this track, we hear a simple four-bar phrase repeated in the rhythm section throughout, but it never gets old. This repetition allows the musicians and listeners to delve deeper into the groove, almost like viewing it through a microscope with increasing magnification. The musicians find beautiful melodies fortified by the groove, while the listener discovers hidden gems that might go unnoticed after just one or two repetitions. Betty also taught us young players the importance of patience, always knowing when the music needed urgency and when it needed space. As a young player, I didn’t fully appreciate this, but now, I find myself demanding the same from the music I listen to and play.
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