Jazz Legend Ron Carter and Gospel Icon Ricky Dillard Unite for Historic Album “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”

In what’s being hailed as a groundbreaking moment in American music, two titans from different worlds are coming together to create something entirely new. Jazz legend Ron Carter—known as “The Maestro”—and gospel powerhouse Ricky Dillard—revered as “The Choirmaster”—will release their unprecedented collaborative album, Sweet, Sweet Spirit, on February 6, 2026 .

A First-of-Its-Kind Fusion

The album, being released jointly by Motown Gospel and Blue Note Records, represents the first-ever true fusion of gospel’s sacred power and jazz’s masterful improvisation . This isn’t just a collaboration—it’s a historic meeting of two of America’s most profound musical traditions.

Carter’s legendary bass lines interweave with the lively and expert backing of Dillard’s famed New-G Choir, creating what both artists describe as a sonic landscape where “choir becomes instrument, bass becomes narrator, and both genres coexist with reverence and innovation” .

A Mother’s Love, A Son’s Tribute

For Ron Carter, Sweet, Sweet Spirit is far more than a musical experiment—it’s a deeply personal act of remembrance. The album honors his late mother, Mrs. Willie O. Carter, whose favorite hymns shaped the musical foundation of the Carter household and the Detroit church community where they worshipped .

The story behind the album is as moving as the music itself. When Mrs. Carter entered a care facility toward the end of her life, she asked her son to sit with her and sing the hymns of his childhood to keep her spirits elevated. Carter promptly went home and recorded himself composing bass lines integrated with those hymns for his mother to enjoy during the final weeks of her life .

Nearly thirty years later, those private recordings have become the blueprint for Sweet, Sweet Spirit, now reborn with full choir arrangements and expanded emotional reach .

The Perfect Partnership

When Carter and producer Don Was (Blue Note Records and Universal Records) envisioned bringing these sacred hymns to life with a choir, there was only one name on the list: Dr. Ricky Dillard .

Together, Carter and Dillard have “skillfully woven instrumentation with the generations of gospel music which embody a lifetime of memories of Mrs. Willie O. Carter and her son, Ronald Levin Carter” .

What They’re Saying

Both artists are deeply moved by what they’ve created:

“I think that when this music is released I predict that it will open up a lot more doors to people’s hearts, unifying them,” says Ron Carter .

Ricky Dillard adds: “This project will be a timeless recording that will penetrate hearts and uplift spirits for generations to come” .

The Music

Sweet, Sweet Spirit features ten beloved hymns, reimagined through this unique jazz-gospel lens :

1. Open My Eyes
2. Everybody Will Be Happy
3. Pass Me Not
4. Farther Along
5. Just A Closer Walk With Thee
6. In The Garden
7. Just A Little Talk With Jesus
8. Softly and Tenderly
9. No Tears in Heaven
10. Sweet, Sweet Spirit

The title track and lead single, “Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” is available now, giving listeners a taste of this extraordinary fusion .

Bringing Two Worlds Together

This album represents more than just a musical collaboration—it’s bringing the gospel world into the jazz club, and vice versa . The hymns featured have deep roots in the gospel community and were integral to the life and musical development of the Carter family in the Detroit church they attended—a church that depended solely on the voices of parishioners as instruments .

Pre-Order Now

Sweet, Sweet Spirit is available for pre-order now on CD and digital formats . Digital albums will be delivered via email on February 6, 2026, with physical CDs shipping the same day .

This is more than an album release—it’s a historic moment when two beloved American art forms, each with deep spiritual and cultural roots, unite to create something wholly new and profoundly moving.

For more information and to stay updated on this historic release, visit iPraiseRadio.com.