Bill Carrothers

Last updated
Bill Carrothers
CarrothersAQ.jpg
Carrothers at the Artists' Quarter, 2013
Background information
Born (1964-07-13) July 13, 1964 (age 57)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres Jazz, post-bop
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, educator
InstrumentsPiano, Fender Rhodes
Years active1979–present
Website www.carrothers.com

Bill Carrothers (born July 13, 1964 [1] ) is a jazz pianist and composer based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. [2] [3] He has cited Clifford Brown, Shirley Horn, and Oscar Peterson as influences on his development as a musician. [4] [5] Carrothers performs without shoes to better feel the piano pedals, and sits in a chair rather than on a traditional piano bench in order to achieve his preferred seating height. [3] [6]

Contents

Career

Carrothers began playing piano at age five, studying with his church organist before learning jazz from pianist Bobby Peterson. [4] [7] By age 15 he was performing in jazz clubs, and in 1982 he briefly attended North Texas State University. [5] [8] [9]

After a year at North Texas, Carrothers was a member of Irv Williams' band before moving to New York City in 1988. [10] He performed at the Knitting Factory, The Village Gate, and Birdland as well as Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. [2] [4] [5] He has worked with Buddy DeFranco, Curtis Fuller, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Dewey Redman, Charlie Rouse, James Spaulding, Terell Stafford, Toots Thielemans, and Prince. [2] [8] [9] [11]

Carrothers has performed in France at the New Morning, Nevers Jazz Festival, and Marciac Festival, in Belgium at the Audi Jazz Festival and Jazz Middelheim, and he headlined the Rising Star Tour in October, 2000 through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. [2] [3] [4] In July, 2009, Carrothers played a week-long stand at the Village Vanguard with his European trio (Nicolas Thys and Dre Pallemaerts), a recording of which was released in 2011. [12] In his home state of Michigan, Carrothers performed a solo piano concert at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in April, 2010, and he made his Monterey Jazz Festival debut in September, 2011. [3] [6] [11] He is also a regular on the Chicago scene, having performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Green Mill, and The Jazz Showcase. [13] In 2011, Carrothers became an adjunct professor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. [3] [11] [13] In 2017, Carrothers began performing with the Copper Cats on The Red Jacket Jamboree. [14]

Awards and honors

Carrothers was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for Jazz in 2004 and was nominated for the Les Victoires du Jazz (French Grammy Award equivalent) in 2005 and 2011. [3]

Discography

As leader

Year recordedTitleLabelNotes
1987?The Artful DodgerBridge Boy
1993Ye Who Enter HereBridge BoyA Band in All Hope, with Anton Denner (alto sax, flute), Bill Stewart (percussion) [15]
1998The Blues and the GreysBridge BoySolo piano [15]
1999?After Hours, Vol. 4Go JazzTrio, with Billy Peterson (bass), Kenny Horst (drums)
1999?The Language of CrowsBridge BoyDuo, co-led with Wendy Lewis (vocals)
1999Duets with Bill Stewart Dreyfus Duo, with Bill Stewart (drums)
2000Swing Sing Songs Warner Bros. Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums)
2001The Electric Bill Dreyfus With Michael Lewis (tenor sax, soprano sax), Reid Anderson (acoustic bass, electric bass), Dave King (drums)
2002Ghost ShipsSketchTrio, with Anton Denner (soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax), Bill Stewart (drums)
2003Armistice 1918SketchWith Mark Henderson (contrabass bass clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers and Knob St Choir (vocals)
2003–04Shine Ball Fresh Sound New Talent Trio, with Gordon Johnson (bass), Dave King (drums)
2004I Love ParisPirouetTrio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums)
2004Civil War DiariesBridge BoySolo piano; in concert
2006?No ChoiceMinium
2006Keep Your Sunny Side UpPirouetTrio, with Ben Street (bass), Ari Hoenig (drums)
2008?Home RowPirouetWith Gary Peacock (bass), Bill Stewart (drums)
2008Play DayBridge BoyWith Jean-Marc Foltz (clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Jean-Philippe Viret (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers (vocals)
2009?ApneaAbeat
2009Joy SpringPirouetTrio, with Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums)
2011?A Night at the Village VanguardPirouetTrio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums)
2010Excelsior Outnote
2012?CastawaysPirouetTrio, with Drew Gress (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums)
2012?Family LifePirouetSolo piano
2012Sunday MorningVision Fugitive
2012Love and LongingLa Buissonne

As sideman

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References

  1. | "Bill Carrothers | Biography"
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bill Carrothers | Biography." AllMusic, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Espeland, Pamela. "Between Sets: A Conversation with Pianist Bill Carrothers." A Blog Supreme. NPR, 19 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Arends, Robin. "Interview with Bill Carrothers." Interjazz, 27 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 McClenaghan, Dan. "Bill Carrothers: See the Piano, Play the Piano." All About Jazz, 25 May 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
  6. 1 2 Ephland, John. "Bill Carrothers Wanders down Jazzy, Dreamy Paths during Noon-time Gilmore Keyboard Festival Show." MLive. Kalamazoo Gazette, 28 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
  7. Hall, James. "Pianist Bill Carrothers Interview." Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine About.com, Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Auditions." Downbeat 56.2 (1989): 64. Print.
  9. 1 2 "Bill Carrothers." B.H. Hopper Management Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
  10. Protzman, Bob. "Reducing Gaps." Downbeat 64.4 (1997): 47. Print.
  11. 1 2 3 McCoy, Brian. "Bill Carrothers Trio: Monterey Jazz Festival's Overlooked Gem." Examiner.com, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
  12. Bailey, C. Michael. "Bill Carrothers Trio: A Night At the Village Vanguard." All About Jazz, 03 June 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Lawrence University Faculty Jazz." Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Chicago Jazz Entertainment, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
  14. Kelly, Corey (27 December 2018). "Red Jacket Jamboree". miningjournal.net. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  15. 1 2 Meyer, Jim. "Local: Jazz" Minneaopolis Star-Tribune, 29 Mar 1998. Web. 03 Jun. 2020.