The James Carter  making his debut as a bandleader for the label with James Carter Organ Trio: Live From Newport Jazz—his first new release since 2011. 
Blue Note President Don Was, a fellow Detroiter, has followed the saxophonist’s career for decades now, since the time Carter was “a local guy who was blowing people’s minds” on the Motor City scene. “He does seem like a natural for the label,” Was agrees, “and this trio is a timeless Blue Note sound.” The format fits Carter’s own gritty, R&B-soaked sensibility like a glove, too or, as The New Yorker wrote, “The wail of a Hammond organ and a swinging force field of drums is just the backing for Carter’s storming saxophone playing.”
“It’s compact and soulful,” Carter says matter-of-factly, explaining why he digs an organ trio’s chemistry so deeply.