| Bill Carrothers | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Birth Date: | 13 July 1964 |
| Birth Place: | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genre: | Jazz, post-bop |
| Occupation: | Musician, composer, educator |
| Instrument: | Piano, Fender Rhodes |
| Years Active: | 1979–present |
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]
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]
After a year at North Texas, Carrothers was a member of Irv Williams' band before moving to New York City in 1988.[9] 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] [10] [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]
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]
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987? | The Artful Dodger | Bridge Boy | ||
| 1993 | Ye Who Enter Here | Bridge Boy | A Band in All Hope, with Anton Denner (alto sax, flute), Bill Stewart (percussion)[15] | |
| 1998 | The Blues and the Greys | Bridge Boy | Solo piano | |
| 1995 | After Hours, Vol. 4 | Go Jazz | Trio, with Billy Peterson (bass), Kenny Horst (drums) | |
| 1999? | The Language of Crows | Bridge Boy | Duo, co-led with Wendy Lewis (vocals) | |
| 1999 | Duets with Bill Stewart | Dreyfus | Duo, with Bill Stewart (drums) | |
| 2000 | Swing Sing Songs | Warner Bros. | Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) | |
| 2001 | The Electric Bill | Dreyfus | With Michael Lewis (tenor sax, soprano sax), Reid Anderson (acoustic bass, electric bass), Dave King (drums) | |
| 2002 | Ghost Ships | Sketch | Trio, with Anton Denner (soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax), Bill Stewart (drums) | |
| 2003 | Armistice 1918 | Sketch | With Mark Henderson (contrabass bass clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers and Knob St Choir (vocals) | |
| 2003–04 | Shine Ball | Fresh Sound New Talent | Trio, with Gordon Johnson (bass), Dave King (drums) | |
| 2004 | I Love Paris | Pirouet | Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) | |
| 2004 | Civil War Diaries | Bridge Boy | Solo piano; in concert | |
| 2006 | No Choice | Minium | ||
| 2006 | Keep Your Sunny Side Up | Pirouet | Trio, with Ben Street (bass), Ari Hoenig (drums) | |
| 1992 | Home Row | Pirouet | With Gary Peacock (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) | |
| 2008 | Play Day | Bridge Boy | With Jean-Marc Foltz (clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Jean-Philippe Viret (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers (vocals) | |
| 2009 | Apnea | Abeat | ||
| 2009 | Joy Spring | Pirouet | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) | |
| 2009 | A Night at the Village Vanguard | Pirouet | Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) | |
| 2010 | Excelsior | Outnote | ||
| 2012 | Castaways | Pirouet | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) | |
| 2009 | Family Life | Pirouet | Solo piano | |
| 2012 | Sunday Morning | Vision Fugitive | ||
| 2012 | Love and Longing | La Buissonne |