Barbara Carroll (1925-2017)

Barbara Carroll, a gifted jazz and pop pianist who made a name for herself in New York in the 1940s as a standout bop player with a proclivity for block chords and impeccable time, died on Feb. 12. She was 92.

Carroll came up at a time when most skilled female jazz pianists could find steady work only as intermission keyboardists at hotel bars and lounges where managers sought to hold onto audiences. The list included Marian McPartland, Dardanelle, Marjorie Hyams (before she turned to the vibes), Hazel Scott, Beryl Booker, and about a dozen others. Little known is that Carroll was the last living member of the Stan Hasselgard Quintet and recorded with the Swedish clarinetist just days before his tragic death in 1948.

Let's listen to why Barbara Carroll was special:

Here's the Barbara Carroll Trio in 1953, featuring Joe Shulman (b) and Herb Wasserman (d)...

Here's the Barbara Carroll Trio in the early 1950s, featuring Joe Schulman (b) and Billy Exiner (d)...

Here's Carroll playing It's a Wonderful World in 1956, with Joe Shulman (b) and Al Munroe (d)...

And here's Carroll in 1967 with Chuck Domanico (b) and Colin Bailey (d)...

       

from JazzWax http://ift.tt/2kAAfEX