Reverse Thread
(E1 Records )

The MacArthur Genius Award, which violinist Regina Carter won in 2006, afforded her the opportunity to explore new sources of creative fuel. Reverse Thread was inspired by field recordings of songs by Ugandan worshippers of the Jewish faith which the Detroit native was able to discover in her search. The project can best be described as a tapestry of folk music that sounds as if it’s somewhere between Senegal, Paris and the Appalachian mountains. She’s joined on this journey by Yacouba Sissiko playing the kora, a West African harp, bassist Mamadou Ba and accordion players Will Holshouser and Gary Versace. They’re accompanied by Carter’s band of Adam Rogers on guitar, Alvester Garnett on drums and Chris Lightcap on bass. With such diverse colors and sources, the result could easily be musical chaos, but Carter and her violin are the thread which beautifully tie this soul-soothing and joyous piece together, absolutely soaring with every note she plays.