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A Melting Pot Of Traditions: Regina Carter Talks With Lara Downes

When Duke Ellington famously coined the phrase "beyond category," he was talking about freedom — of choice, of expression, of belonging. He meant following your heart and your instincts into an artistic territory without borders. And that's the place where violinist Regina Carter makes her home. She plays everything — jazz, classical, R&B, Latin, blues, country, pop, you name it. It doesn't matter because, as she says, she just likes to call herself "a violinist." She's always done things beautifully, spectacularly her own way.

I look at the musical life Regina has made, and I see courage. I know it's not easy to do things your own way. But courage, as Regina says in our conversation, is just survival. You follow your heart because you have to, because you don't know any better, because it's the only way to get to where you need to go.

I'm blessed to call Regina my friend and my creative collaborator. She is one of the kindest people I've ever met — generous in spirit, honest and truly open-minded. At the very beginning of our new friendship, which started during this pandemic year, we made a misstep on our way to collaboration: We chose the wrong project at first, and tried to make it fit. But then we let ourselves admit our discomfort and show each other the cracks in our courage, and we helped each other find the way back. We're working on something together now that feels just right — something we found by following our hearts, in our own way.

Copyright 2021 Classical KUSC

Lara Downes
Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation, a trailblazer both on and off the stage, whose musical roadmap seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family and collective memory. As a chart-topping recording artist, a powerfully charismatic performer, a curator and tastemaker, Downes is recognized as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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