Carter Wallace, a senior music major, is a bass musician for both the CSUN Jazz Band and the bass guitarist for The Sacred Dice, a local band.
“To come together with other musicians and to create something so fragile and delicate that at any time it can fall apart, it is the most exhilarating feeling and terrifying to be in,” Wallace said.
His appreciation for the bass instrument began when his father suggested it as an alternative to the piano when he was no longer able and willing to play the piano.
According to Wallace, the most profound moments he has had in his life have been inside the halls of Cypress Hall. Within that building he has met the most inspirational individuals he has known and to some extent his heroes.
“Gary, to me, epitomizes what it means to be a bass player,” Wallace said. Gary Pratt is the bass/director of the CSUN Jazz Studies.
He credits his success and dedication to his craft to four separate but important entities.
“Without Gary and his musical guidance I would not be where I am today. My family for their continued support, my roommate and partner in crime and Nicholas Dungey (CSUN political science professor) because without him, I would have quit already,” he said.
Trying to juggle with all of the activities he is involved and exceeding in school is no easy task. He is currently enrolled in more than twelve units, practices and performs with the CSUN Jazz Band and The Sacred Dice, physically trains and now is venturing out too the culinary world.
“My roommate and I are trying to expand to the culinary world. We have nights set out when we cook multiple courses,” Wallace said.
Above everything he is trying to accomplish in life whether it is his jazz career, rock band career or his academic career. He said that life is too short to not enjoy what you are doing every single day and believes in giving back to the community.
“I have an intense love for teaching, especially after four years of Pratt and Dungey. These individuals serve as an example on what impact teachers have on a student,” Wallace said.
When asked whether or not he considers himself a flamboyant person he said, “In a phase of a metaphysical absent world, I think the only answer to this, is to become a dancer in it.”
Jazz music by Bill Evan’s Trio “Autumn Leaves”
Rock music by The Sacred Dice “Don’t Look Back”
