01	Oh, Lady, Be Good!						06:29
	02	Cook's Bay						05:53
	03	Papa Was A Rollin' Stone						07:28
	04	Mojito						06:47
	05	Our Delight						04:29
	06	Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most						04:31
	07	Mandingo Street						04:02
	08	New York Attitude						04:40
	09	By The Brook						04:54
	10	Skeeter Blues						04:13

Rhythms of the Heart
Date of Release Nov 24, 1998 - Dec 8, 1998
Genre Jazz
Styles Post-Bop, Jazz-Pop, Mainstream Jazz

Regina Carter definitely has a lot of room to run in the jazz world with the violin, an instrument that has been selected by relatively few for compelling reasons; a)., the sheer difficulty of mastering the contraption, and b)., the rigorous, non-swinging, non-improvising classical training that usually produces that mastery. Some of the conservatory still lingers in Carter's formal stage stance and in traces of the music, but there is no doubt that she can swing mightily, if not yet with the consistently eloquent ease of the old masters. Kenny Barron contributes his unshakeably solid piano to four cuts and Werner Geirig handles four more; Rodney Jones serves up jazz and wah-wah guitars; Peter Washington (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) back most of the tracks. A good deal of the CD places Carter in a straight-ahead setting, where she shows her Stuff Smith stuff particularly winningly on "Lady Be Good." Luckily, she hasn't been roped into the mainstream to the exclusion of all else: hence, the brave, if slightly inhibited, reggae/funk version of the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" with an idiosyncratic moaning vocal by guest Cassandra Wilson. Carter also tries out a mild salsa groove on "Mojito," and a nice, revolving African beat on "Mandingo Street" in the manner of early-'90s Jean-Luc Ponty. In all, a decent, all-purpose major-label debut, designed to present a table of contents for her emerging career. - Richard S. Ginell

1999 CD Verve 547177


Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Violinist Regina Carter's able to cover ample stylistic terrain without any sense of a tourist's itinerary. Her signature excursions on Rhythms of the Heart reveal a jaunty joie de vivre reminiscent of Stephane Grappelli, best showcased on "Lady Be Good" and Tadd Dameron's "Our Delight." But there are also credible forays into salsa with "Mojito," Afro-pop with "Mandingo Street" (featuring Cameroonian multi-instrumentalist and composer Richard Bona), and soulful reggae on a cover of the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," where vocalist Cassandra Wilson provides her trademark hushed refinement. A longtime sidewoman for trombonist Steve Turre and others, Carter proves adept at fostering ideal forums for her cohorts, particularly pianist Kenny Barron, whose tune "Cook's Bay" is a pastoral gem, and whose exchanges with Carter on "N.Y. Attitude" ensure that's there's a graceful depth to the song's brisk efficiency. Finally, don't overlook the pensive beauty of Carter's take on the ballad "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." --Britt Robson

From Jazziz
Cassandra Wilson's influence is spreading. And while it might be difficult to imitate her vocal style, musicians of all sorts are learning that jazz artists can afford to be eclectic without sacrificing the strength and unity of their own voices. Regina Carter, the terrific young violinist, opens and closes her new disc with standard-issue stuff: a swinging romp through "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and a sexy slide across "Skeeter's Blues." But between tracks one and 10, there are a lot of nice... read more




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer Reviews

blah, September 20, 2000
Reviewer: A music fan from Seattle, Washington USA
Actually 2 and 1/2 stars. I agree with two of the reviewers below that Ms. Carter is better in concert than on this record, but I seem to be more disappointed than they with the difference. Her playing here is restrained, simplistic, detached, unemotional. Her violin's tone sounds boxy. There is a profusion of "guest stars" here and no sense of a band cohering. (Her real pianist is better than Kenny Barron.) I could go on, but I think you get the idea: this is a commercially compromised, timid, halting, uninspired effort.

I can only recommend you see the real Regina Carter in concert, and in the mean time pick up these two jazz records featuring violin: The Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire" and Shakti's "Natural Elements".


WOW!, July 7, 2000
Reviewer: Gail Davies from Scotland
This album is truly mind-blowing! I saw Regina live in concert last night (Thursday 6th July), and also was involved in a masterclass run by her on Wednesday as part of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland Summer course. What an inspiration! If you ever get the chance to see her live, please do, because if you think the album is fabulous (which it is), you will be truly mesmorised by her playing and the general atmosphere at one of her gigs!


This album is just plain awesome, September 22, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan from Coarsegold, CA
I would highly recommend this album to anyone who loves jazz. The violin is great as are the accompaning instruments. You will not regret buying this album. The best violin album I've heard.


One of the great musicians of our time, August 30, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan from Kansas City, Missouri
In live performance, Regina Carter is one of the great musicians of our time, and one of the greatest jazz soloists of all time on any instrument. That monumental impact is not really captured fully on this disc, but it is fairly common in jazz that it would not be. This is an excellent disc, which reveals her beauty of tone, swinging approach, and compelling ideas. This is one of the best jazz violin albums of all time, and I look forward to listening to her for years to come. REGINA RULES!!!!