Regina Carter talks about discovering jazz as a high school student in Detroit. R

egina Carter: I was a music major and I took orchestra, all the music classes. And there was a bassist in the orchestra; her name is Carla Cook, and she's a phenomenal jazz vocalist. And Carla brought me my first jazz recordings was of three violinists: Jean-Luc Ponty, Stephane Grappelli and Noel Pointer. And when I took those records home and put them on, my mind was blown. And so I just put the records on and listen and listen and learn them and stand in the mirror and play, play along with the records. And Carla took me when we were 16 and she got her driver's license. She took me to hear Stephane Grappelli live in Detroit. And it was a Stephane Grappelli trio. And I remember just the joy on the musicians faces. And that really struck me. I just said, no matter what this music is called, I want to feel that joy and I want my audience to feel that joy. And so this is what I want to do.