Ron Carter, professor emeritus in the NIU School of Music, directed the NIU Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Studies program for 23 years, passed away, February 24. During his time at NIU, Carter helped grow and diversify the Jazz Studies program and earn its ranking as one of the top 10 graduate programs in jazz by US News and World Report. He led a European tour of the NIU Jazz Ensemble in 2004.
Throughout his tenure, he traveled the world with the NIU Jazz Ensemble, brought in legendary artists, and maintained a relationship with inner-city talent through the South Shore Cultural Center – leaving behind an enduring legacy as an artist and educator. His work left an indelible impact on the jazz community, and he was widely regarded for his ability to inspire and bring joy to students of all ages.
In 2009, Carter was named an NIU Board of Trustees Professor, one of the first six to be so honored, and the first from the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Reggie Thomas, professor of music and head of jazz studies at NIU has fond memories their long mentorship and friendship.
“Ron Carter was not only my high school jazz band director and mentor – he was so much more! He is responsible for me becoming a pianist,” Thomas said. “He was the first to hire me as a regular member of his professional band when I was 15 years old. He is the person who recommend me to teach at the Birch Creek Music Center when I was only 22 years old. He is the person who advocated for me to be on the faculty of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Band Director Academy. He is the person who lobbied me to apply for the position of Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University. Most importantly, he is my friend – he is family!
When I accepted the position NIU, I had to remind people that I could not replace Professor Carter – he could not be replaced. The impact that he had here is resonating through the many students he produced that grace concert halls, jazz clubs and festivals and classrooms around the world!”
Carter earned his baccalaureate degree from Bethune Cookman University and his master’s degree in music education at the University of Illinois. He began his teaching career at Lincoln Senior High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. He served the East St. Louis community for 17 years. Carter would go on to travel the globe with the world-renowned Lincoln Senior High School Jazz Ensemble, changing the lives of countless inner-city students.
Carter dedicated his life to preserving the jazz tradition, serving over five decades in public education. He most recently served as the Felton J. Capel Distinguished Professor at Fayetteville State University. An ambassador for Black American Music, Carter continued his advocacy by founding the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Jazz Festival.
Among his many accomplishments, Carter received the Conn-Selmer Lifetime Achievement Award, The Jazz Institute of Chicago William Dyette Lifetime Achievement Award, The Midwest Clinic Medal of Honor, and a Milken Educator Award. He was preceded in death by his son Jeremy and is survived by his loving wife, Linda, and their children Antwan, Christopher, Bryan, and Demetria.
