R-EFFECT

please cut and paste for article - Eric Miller

It's refreshing to hear a CD like this!
Reviewer: Sam Lewis, Elastic Arts Foundation
The Ron Baxter 4TeT's latest CD, Live @ Java 101, is a great example of players that are deeply rooted in the tradition of Jazz, but aren't afraid to take chances to move the genre along, even at this period in the evolution of the music. Even though Baxter is the "leader" of the 4TeT, the musicians with him are solid players and composers in their own right, and Baxter has no problem letting them express themselves fully within the group dynamic. Their refreshing take on the "standards", as well as introducing new, impressive works to the rich Jazz canon, let's me know that this group of players will be around for some time to come...Hop on board before the bandwagon gets too full! - Sam Lewis, Elastic Arts Foundation, Chicago

Owen Cordle, Correspondent
"Java 101" - 3 Stars

Raleigh tenor saxophonist Ron Baxter is coming on strong these days. Since returning to the city after advanced jazz studies at Northern Illinois University, he has become the host of a weekly Monday night jazz jam session at Yancy's this summer, which coincides with the release of "Live @ Java 101," recorded by Ron Baxter 4TeT at a DeKalb coffeehouse last summer while he was at NIU.

Additional good news is that Baxter's playing is his own -- from serene to boisterous, from graceful to bruising. No heavy influences are discernable. And his band -- pianist Scott Coletta, bassist Alejandro Fernandez and drummer Shirazette Tinnin (a Burlington native) -- proves adaptable to his mood swings and dynamics.

Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-Ning" is a tried-and-true test. Based on the familiar chord changes of "I Got Rhythm," it challenges the jazzman to distinguish himself from the pack and avoid cliche. Baxter succeeds not only in his kaleidoscopic quartet arrangement but also in his agile, careening solo.

Wayne Shorter's "Yes and No" and four originals complete the album. Coletta uses electric piano throughout, an instrument that has become contemporary again among groups seeking a different sonority without straying too far from acoustic jazz roots. Coletta has a light yet driving touch.

The band opens up here and there (most obviously on Baxter's "The Zette Threat") to let Tinnin solo briefly, her interludes being more a natural culmination of ensemble buildup than an obligatory turn. Likewise, Fernandez's solos are short and to the point.

The album is available at www.cdbaby.com, where you can link to Baxter's www.sonicbids.com site. Or check out the jam at Yancy's.
- OwEn Cordle for News and Observer, Raleigh August 5, 2007.

favorite live group....Ron Baxter group, they are a talented bunch of musicians.

-Patrick Halverson
Java patron - Cream and Sugar...the flavor of Java 101

Monday, October 22, 2007

October 21, 2007 Ron Baxter is Back
Joining me in the WCOM studio were Ron Baxter, a Raleigh-based saxophone player, and Jack Hill, a Chapel Hill bass player. They brought their instruments with them and came ready to play. They have only played together a few times so it was exciting to see them work out and through the early part of a musical relationship. Ron heads up the Monday night jazz jam at Yancey's in Raleigh. The music starts with the house band at 8:00 and then others work into the mix starting at 9:00. They have attracted players from all over the eastern part of the state.

Ron grew up in the Raleigh area and recently returned. His father, Edward Baxter, is a oil painter, and will have an exhibition at the NC Museum of History as part of their Afro-American Cultural Celebration. This will take place on January 26th. Ron will join his father to play the saxophone as part of the day's celebration. Ron will play at 2:00 and will teach a Master Class at 3:30.

Ron is a great player and composer. He enthusiastically and critically listens to his work - both enjoying the moment but knowing how he would like to improve his sound. He will soon be going into the studio for the first time - so stay tuned.

Jack Hill is a jazz student at UNC-CH. The UNC Jazz Orchestra will play in Hill Hall on the UNC-CH campus on Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. It's a great time to enjoy the talents of the jazz students on campus. I expect that Jack and Ron will be playing more together and I welcome them both back to the WCOM studio. My show features the sounds and music and stories of NC jazz musicians and the music they create. You can hear my show each Sunday night in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area at 103.5 fm or from anywhere in the world on the internet by going to www.communityradio.coop. Please join me for some wonderful music and to meet the musicians behind the music.

Playlist

Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
Jason Moran; Same Mother CD; Jump Up
Played Live in the Studio or Recorded Music by Ron Baxter

Straight No Chaser
Ron Baxter; Ron Baxter 4TeT- Live @ Java 101 CD; Niala (included in the group is Shinizette Tinnin, a promising young drummer from Burlington, NC)

Footprints
Stella
Ron Baxter song - Kilo's Route - recorded live at a jazz festival in Lima Peru
Softly As a Morning Sunrise
4Tet - Live CD; Gradually
Nardis
Rhythm-A-Ning - Melva Okun http://melvasmusingsonjazz.blogspot.com

Just as a jazz group relies on solos and individual personalities to give songs life, jazz venues rely on those groups to bring a vast background and an array of skills in order to please the assorted groups of people that crowd the room.

It’s a fact that is not lost on Ron Baxter, leader of the Ron Baxter 4TeT. The 4TeT prides itself on a strong mix of music to please the diverse group that comes to see them play.

“The adamant jazz listener will come in and be entertained, and the ‘kat’ that may not have that deep a background in jazz will find something that he or she likes also,” Baxter said.

Through a mix of straight ahead, arranged standards and large diet of originals, the 4TeT has been entertaining crowds all over the Midwest since November 2005. The group – with Baxter on tenor, Scott Coletta on keys, Columbia native Alejandro Fernandez on bass and Shirazette Tinnin bangin’ the skins – met at NIU and are in line to follow the long list of successful musicians from that area.

Though the driving force of much of the 4TeT’s pool of music is drawn from the jazz songbook, their catalog does not end there. From funk to hip hop to contemporary songs, the 4TeT boast a well rounded repertoire that’s sure to keep the attention of listeners.

“You will hear us play some tunes that are jazz, but at the same time you wonder ‘Why is my head bobbin’ like that?’ It’s because there’s an underlying feel, a groove very unique to this band,” Baxter said. Drummer Shirazette Tinnin flashes a smile, somewhat taking credit for those head bobbin’ grooves. Baxter laughs in agreement!

It is more than apparent that this band is tight on and off the stage, but don’t let their approachable personalities mislead you. They are serious and definitely on a mission. Baxter said, “We have musical goals to accomplish, but what’s the point if there is no one to receive your art? Making sure the crowd enjoys themselves and our music is the ultimate goal.”

rbaxter@niu.edu

- Peter Krowiak

..... that was the best jam session so far this year....everybody played strong, and the energy was high. It was a really good time.... - Eric Dawson, saxophonist. elosophy@hotmail.com