Regina Carter Quintet to Perform at UNCA Feb. 5

Regina Carter, one of today’s most exciting and original jazz violinists, will perform at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Carter will be joined by hot Cuban percussionist Mayra Caseles, solid drummer Alvester Garnett, versatile German pianist Werner Gierig and sturdy bassist Chris Lightcap. The event is part of UNCA’s month-long celebration of Black History Month.

Heralded by the New York Times as a "violinist of great control, improvisational flexibility and wide range," Carter is one of the most significant musicians to emerge on the jazz scene in decades. Her style integrate the finer elements of jazz, funk, African, Brazilian and soul music with an adventurous rhythmic sensibility. Attracting attention from the best in the business, she has collaborated with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Lauryn Hill, Cassandra Wilson, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker.

Carter began studying the Suzuki method of violin while in grade school. Later she honed her skills with the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra, the pop/funk band Brainstorm and the celebrated all-female Detroit collaborative Straight Ahead. A graduate of the esteemed New England Conservatory and Michigan’s Oakland University, Carter relocated to New York in the early 1990s and quickly became a vital member of the music scene.

In 1995, she recorded her self-titled CD for Atlantic Records. Two years later, she recorded "Something For Grace," which earned Carter the number one spot in the violin category of Down Beat magazine’s 46th Annual Critics Poll. Her Verve label debut, "Rhythms of the Heart," was chosen as one of Time magazine’s top ten recordings of 1999. Her latest album, "Motor City Moments," pays tribute to her hometown Detroit.

The performance is sponsored by UNCA’s Cultural & Special Events Committee, African American Student Association, Multicultural Student Programs, the YMI Cultural Center and WCQS Public Radio.

Tickets for the performances are $18 general admission. Tickets are available 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the UNCA Ticket Office, Highsmith Center room 27, and may be charged by phone by calling 828/251-6584 during the hours listed above. Tickets are also available at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville.

Media Contacts:

• Sharyn McDonald Groh, UNCA Cultural & Special Events director, 828/251-6669
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant, 828/251-6526