Downtown NYC Musicians Remember Drummer Lance Carter

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Friends and colleagues of the late New York drummer, Lance Carter, announce a benefit evening of performances by leading New York City avant-garde and experimental musicians. The Lance Carter Memorial Benefit for the Musicians' Emergency Fund of the Jazz Foundation of America will take place at the downtown music club, The Knitting Factory on Thursday, May 31, 2007. The event will be held in the Main Space. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the JFA's Musicians' Emergency Fund, which has served over 3,000 musician emergency cases since Hurricane Katrina, including 1,300 regular elder emergency cases due to age and/or illness, as well as employing, housing and caring for hundreds of New Orleans' musicians.

The evening is organized as a benefit in memory of the late drummer, Lance Carter, a long-time player in the downtown New York ”avant” music scene, career musician and client of The Jazz Foundation. Mr. Carter succumbed to the very rare bone marrow disease, amyloidosis, last November at age 51. The Jazz Foundation provided assistance to the musician and his family during his terminal illness and the benefit has been planned by Mr. Carter's wife. After providing immediate financial assistance to defray uninsured medical and living expenses, the Jazz Foundation introduced the Carter's to a network of other musician aid organizations which united and offered the family ongoing support for the duration of Mr. Carter's illness. In addition to the JFA, the Carters received support from MusiCares, The Actor's Fund, the Musicians' Foundation and Sweet Relief Musicians' Fund. This event is the first in a series of benefits planned by Mr. Carter's wife, Lisa Cooney Carter, to support these organizations. She states, “The work of the Jazz Foundation and the other organizations that helped us, and comfort their support provided during the darkest of days, is truly the story here.”

Lance Carter is best known for touring and recording with avant- garde guitar innovator, Sonny Sharrock, including their duet on the theme to the Cartoon Network animated series “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast”. He recorded and toured and with jazz vocalist, Cassandra Wilson, with whom he appears on the Grammy nominated Blue Note release, Blue Light Till Dawn, and also recorded Permutations and the soundtrack to the film “Broken Vessels” with bassist/producer Bill Laswell.

Mr. Carter collaborated with all of the musicians performing at the benefit, including guitarist Marc Ribot; Elliot Sharp's edgy blues band, Terraplane; vocalist Eric Mingus; renowned bass player Percy Jones & Tunnels; experimental improvisers, The Harriet Tubman Band featuring Mr. Carter's cousin, Brandon Ross; guitarist Robert Musso, and violinist Charles Burnham. Also reuniting for the evening will be Sons of Sharrock, featuring former members of The Sonny Sharrock Band, playing together under this billing for the only second time since Mr. Sharrock's untimely death in 1994. Other special guests will be announced. The emcee of the evening is Bruce Gallanter of Downtown Music Gallery.

The beneficiary of the event, The Jazz Foundation of America, is a New York City based national non-profit organization, founded in 1989. The JFA's Musicians' Emergency Fund provides financial assistance and support services for elderly jazz musicians, and those facing illness or crisis. The Jazz Foundation of America is located at 322 West 48th Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10036, (212) 245-3999, www.jazzfoundation.org. The Executive Director of the Jazz Foundation of America is Wendy Oxenhorn. The benefit organizer is Lance Carter's wife, Lisa Cooney Carter.

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