“I was blessed and fortunate to tap into that wonderful artistry of jazz and those icons and other people who continue to keep it alive here in the DMV.” — Janine Gilbert-Carter

Janine Gilbert-Carter

JANINE GILBERT-CARTER – a Pennsylvania native who migrated to the Washington DC Metropolitan Area in 1988, got an early start singing at the St. John Baptist Church in Aliquippa. During her April 2017 interview for the Washington DC Jazz Oral History Project, she confessed that she is now at home performing jazz, gospel, blues, and other styles. She also shared her priceless stories about her live performances and studio work involving other Mid-Atlantic artists, including Ronnie Wells-Elliston, Ron Elliston, Paul Carr, Keter Betts, and James “Tex” King.

“My very first professional jazz performance was orchestrated by Ronnie Wells-Elliston, and it was at Vincino’s [Ristorante Italiano] in Silver Spring, Maryland, when they first opened—[with a jazz performance series run] by Chad Carter and Ted Carter.  Chad Carter is a local jazz musician himself. I remember playing there with Vince Smith on piano and Wes Biles on bass . . .”

“I actually did two recording at once, at two different studios! I recorded a gospel CD and a jazz CD that came out at the same time. For the jazz CD, I talked with Ronnie Wells-Elliston and asked, “Do you think I’m ready to do this?” She said, “Absolutely!” So, I worked with her and John Miller, who had a studio out in Olney, Maryland.”

“On that first jazz CD [“In the Moment”], I was blessed, once again, to have saxophonist Paul Carr, drummer Mike Smith, Aaron Graves on piano, and James “Tex” King on bass. So, I was able to do my very first jazz recording with the top-notch jazz musicians in the DMV . . .”

“ . . . I think Washington, DC is becoming that hub where musicians want to come and share their gifts of artistry, just like in New York. I am thankful that I was introduced to those in jazz—like Ronnie Wells and Ron Elliston, Paul Carr—and that I was able to meet Keter Betts and play with Keter Betts. He is a legend here in Washington DC.”

“I was blessed and fortunate to tap into that wonderful artistry of jazz and those icons and other people who continue to keep it alive here in the DMV.”

Interview Date: April 22, 2017

All Interviews Conducted, Recorded, and Reviewed by

Dr. Regennia N. Williams

Life Member, Oral History Association

Founder and Director, The RASHAD Center, Inc.

*Photograph Courtesy of Janine Gilbert-Carter

Janine Gilbert-Carter Live at the 15th annual FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival

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