Barbara Carroll (born Barbara Carole Coppersmith on January 25, 1925 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is a jazz pianist, composer and vocalist who has long been regarded as one of the most fascinating purveyors of swinging jazz piano and rhythmic, expressive vocals.
She began her classical training in piano at age eight, but
by high school had decided to become a jazz pianist. She attended the New
England Conservatory of Music for a year, but left it as it conflicted with
working for bands. In 1947 Leonard Feather dubbed her "the first girl ever
to play bebop piano." In the following year her trio, which had Chuck
Wayne on guitar and Clyde Lombardi on bass, worked briefly with Benny Goodman.
Later Charlie Byrd replaced Wayne with Joe Shulman replacing Lombardi. After
Byrd left she decided to have it be a drums, bass, and piano trio.
In September 1954 Barbara married Joe Shulman, a member of the trio. The marriage lasted less than three years as he died of a heart-attack in 1957 at 33. She later married former bandleader Bert Block and had a daughter. She decided in 1965 to retire from jazz and devote her time to her family.
Here's 'S Wonderful from above album. Recorded 1957.
In 1972 she revived her career due to a renewed interest in her work. In 1975 she was asked by Rita Coolidge to work on a session
for A&M. Then in 1978 she toured with Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson. In
the following two decades she became known as a cabaret musician.
Her work over the past 50 years has spanned everything from
appearances on Broadway with her trio in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Me and
Juliet to performances in concert halls, jazz clubs, on major TV shows and
festival stages throughout the world. She has performed for President and Mrs.
Clinton at the White House and has made more than thirty major label recordings
with an array of jazz legends including Art Farmer, Claudio Roditi, Bucky
Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli.
Ms. Carroll, whom many regard as New York’s “first lady of
jazz piano,” recently completed a record-breaking run at the famed Bemelmans
Bar in the Carlyle Hotel, where she appeared annually for two extended
engagements for 24 consecutive years. Now performing nearly every Wednesday at
Birdland (with bassist Jay Leonhart and Joe Cocuzzo on drums), Ms. Carroll has
returned to the kind of jazz clubs that made her famous in the 1950s.
Her 2005 release of “Live At Birdland,” showcases her
extensive repertoire coupled with her intimate knowledge and presentation of
jazz piano at its best. She has gained new appreciation in the cabaret world,
and continues working to the present. In the current decade she’s been awarded a Lifetime Achievement award and the “Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz.”(Info edited from Wikipedia & All about jazz)
