In Jazz: From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He can be heard on many iconic jazz records of the 60’s and 70’s such as Speak No Evil, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, Red Clay to name a few.

In other music genres: After leaving the quintet he embarked on a prolific 50-year free-lance career that spanned vastly different music genres and continues to this day. He recorded with Roberta Flack and Aretha  Franklin, with Gil Scott Heron on Pieces of a Man, appeared on the seminal hip-hop album Low End Theory  with a Tribe Called Quest, played on albums by Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Paul Simon and more and wrote and recorded pieces for string quartets and Bach chorales for 2-8 basses.

As a leader: Carter spends at least half the year on worldwide tours with his various groups: the Ron Carter Trio, the Foursight Quartet, the Ron Carter Nonet and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. He has recorded multiple albums with his groups.

As an author: Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, where he explains his creative process and teaches bassists of all levels to improve their skills and develop their own unique sound. He also released his biography, “Finding the Right Notes”.

In 2021 he pioneered a new type of music transcription with Chartography, showing not only the bass line but also how the band responded and how the entire tune transformed over time. He continues to expand his “Ron Carter Library” to this day with method books and educational materials.

As a teacher: He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He also taught at the Juilliard School and at Manhattan School of Music.

Awards and Honorifics: He is a 3-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to Japan-US relations, the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by France, numerous MVP and Outstanding Bassist awards by the music press. He has 7 honorary doctorates from Juilliard, Berklee, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Clark University, Manhattan  School of Music and University of Rochester.

Film appearances: In October 2022, PBS released a full-length feature film documentary called "Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes" about Carter’s life and legend. He appeared as himself on an episode of HBO’s "Treme" and played in the movie "Round Midnight," among others.