Present Tense is an album by saxophonist James Carter released on the EmArcy label in 2008.
In the AllMusic review, Thom Jurek commented: "Present Tense showcases Carter at his most disciplined and ambitious ... This may be Carter's finest album because of its insistence on the balance between restraint and adventure". In JazzTimes, David R. Adler called the album "an unselfconscious mix of influences, more three-dimensional than his various tribute discs and the recent organ-trio blowouts". On All About Jazz Greg Camphire observed: "This solid, straight-ahead outing sounds both "old-timey" (in the best sense), with deep roots in blues and swing; and exploratory, never sacrificing Carter's personal approach, while maintaining his place in the jazz tradition". In The Guardian, critic John Fordham wrote: "The whole set is a jazz history, rescued from cheesiness by Carter's mastery of every technical detail".