Carl 'Ace' Carter When Count Basie died, his chair in the band was filled by a longtime Cleveland jazz pianist, Carl "Ace" Carter. Born in Youngstown, Carter came to Cleveland in 1954 with the Joe Cooper band. Another member ofthat band was a trombonist named Mel Wanzo. Three decades later it was Wanzo, then playing on the Basie band, who recommended that Carter take over the important piano chair in the Basie band. During a 30-year period, Carter had become a leader on the Cleveland jazz scene. He played regularly at the Boarding House Restaurant on Euclid Avenue and many other jazz spots in Cleveland. He performed with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt and recorded with George Benson, Emmett Berry and Thelonious Monk and Jimmy Scott. Despite his vast experience playing with some of the best small jazz groups in Cleveland for more than 30 years, it was not an easy assignment taking over the role of the legendary Count Basie in the band. He said in a 1990 interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "He's sitting right there next to me, right there beside me." Carter never tried to imitate Basie's piano style. He said, "I'm pretty much on my own as far as soloing goes. " Carter toured with the Frank Foster-led Basie band throughout the United States and to several foreign countries. He remembered one ofthe high spots was a week in London with Ella Fitzgerald. But, eventually, the rigors of almost constant travel with the Basie band began to wear on Carter. Even though many of the trips were by plane, Ace said, "Getting up and making those flights was not easy. And you don't always get enough sleep or eat the right kind of food." Carter left the band in 1991 and returned to Cleveland where he continued performing while battling a series of medical problems. Ace died of kidney failure September 20, 1996 at the age of 65. Jazz musicians from across the country, including many members of the Basie band, attended his funeral service at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church on East Boulevard in Cleveland. Nog wat krantenberichten:   Ace Carter maakte ook platen met blueslegende Robert Lockwood Jr.zanger en gitarist. 
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