Lend an ear to a Ron Carter bass line and whole worlds unfold. The Maestro’s choices with regard to tone, touch, feel, note selection, and attitude, while in spontaneous conversation with his bandmates each allude to the consummate blend of wisdom and craftsmanship gained from a lifetime spent in jazz. Now a remarkable new film pulls back the curtain to present the full scope of Carter’s masterful process and more. Finding the Right Notes, by filmmaker Peter Schnall of Partisan Pictures, in collaboration with PBS (airing and streaming on October 21st), follows the journey of the 85-year-old legend, from his youth in Ferndale, Michigan, through racially charged times that literally altered his career path, to historic recordings with Miles Davis and countless others, to his underheralded work as a solo artist, composer, arranger, educator, and mentor. Schnall and his crew spent over six years (with a pandemic pause) following and filming Carter at home, on the road, in concert, in the studio, even in mourning. The result is at once a sweeping saga told amid a stellar soundtrack of Carter performing his music (as captured by Schnall’s team) and an intimate portrait of one of the instrument’s most towering and revered figures. As George Benson says early in the film, “Something powerful happens when Ron Carter picks up the bass.” Ultimately, Finding the Right Notes is about a man on mission. Yes, the Maestro is all about finding new and better notes nightly. He’s also a fearless, unwavering, dedicated champion of the music. As a viewer, the two-hour film will leave you feeling highly motivated and greatly inspired, as you return to your life and career. To gain insight into the project we were fortunate to speak with the director and the star. What led you to agree to do have this documentary made about your career? RC: Peter [Schnall] approached me about six years ago. He had seen me perform and he knew about my book biography, [Ron Carter Finding the Right Notes, by Dan Ouellette, KMW Studio, 2009]. He thought it would be a good time to do a documentary, if we could figure out the scheduling. At first I wasn’t really comfortable about having my private life on display onscreen, but in getting to know Peter, he’s very nice, he’s a fine filmmaker, and he felt he could help me provide some additional perspective and inspiration beyond the book. At the time I was very busy between performing and teaching fulltime at Julliard, so I said, If you can work with the times I’m available, I’m all for it. After having some additional talks about a broad range of topics and interests, we decided to give it a go and here we are. Were you involved in any of the storyline or editorial process? RC: No, I’d seen the trailer previously but I didn’t see the full film until last Sunday [mid-September]. It’s amazing, it looks great, the sound is terrific because there was so much live recording of performances, as Peter and his team t