Scott Sawyer and Carter Minor
Scott Sawyer and Carter Minor met 40 years ago. In recent years they are having a blast collaborating and performing concerts together.
“Thru the years, I've worked with a number of accomplished singers in the duo format. Rather than performing set arrangements, Carter Minor and I bring a more conversational, improvisational approach to our duo performances. We explore a range of music including American Songbook, Jazz, and Blues; it requires being in the moment, and taking chances. This approach works well for us...we have a lot of fun ‘dancing together!’”
~ Scott Sawyer 9/23/2026
“Our kinship in blues and jazz is magical. On stage there is a symbiotic connection that transcends the sound, a wordless conversation that allows the music to flow freely into those wonderful unrehearsed realms. We explore and combine blues and jazz repertoire in a way that the rawness of the seeds of the blues brings about a harvest of the sophistication of jazz without losing the substance of the roots!”
~ Carter Minor 9/23/26
Scott Sawyer displays his musical diversity like a badge of honor, re-visiting his blues & rock roots while continuing to explore the jazz tradition & beyond. He’s performed at major festivals, concert halls, jazz venues, and beer-soaked dives here and abroad (Central America, Asia, Brazil, Canada,Europe, and the Middle East).
Sawyer has shared the stage and/or recorded with many noteworthy artists, including John Abercrombie, Charlie Byrd, David Murray, Bob Cranshaw, Buster Williams, Ed Thigpen, and Nnenna Freelon, to name a very few. Sawyer has appeared on 55+ recordings (8 as a bandleader), spanning a range of genres. Nnenna Freelon’s “Shaking Free” was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. In 2013 Sawyer joined the Durham Jazz Workshop faculty, where he coaches combos and offers private instruction. He’s a former teaching instructor at East Carolina University (2010-2022) and UNC-Chapel Hill (2012-2020).
Carter Minor is a vocalist, songwriter, harmonica player, musician, educator, and teacher from Chapel Hill who has been professionally performing Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Gospel for over 60 years. He was a member of Heartwood, Nightshift, Lagniappe, Flight, and The Powerhitters. He recently retired after twenty years as Band Director and Music Instructor at Cary Christian School in Cary, NC. He is currently front man for The Carter Minor Blues Band and can be seen regularly at The Blue Note Grill in Durham as well as other Triangle venues. He also sings with Armand & Bluesology, Carrie Marshall, Danny Gotham, Lindsay Rosebrock, Manteo Murphy, Grant Osborne and Scott Sawyer.
Carter is a vocal stylist known for the range, versatility, and beautiful tambre of his voice. He has the amazing ability to melodically weave his way through a song's lyric to convey the story as if he lived it and to sing the song as if he wrote it, whether it is Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Classical, or Pop. Carter is also a highly acclaimed harmonica player. He received his first harmonica for his 19th birthday in 1970 and has never looked back.