Introduction
Barbara Carroll (born Barbara Carole Coppersmith on January 25, 1925) is a jazz pianist.
Early life and early career
Carroll was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her classical training in piano at age eight, but by high school 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 featured Chuck Wayne on guitar and Clyde Lombardi on bass, worked briefly with Benny Goodman. Later Charlie Byrd replaced Wayne and Joe Shulman replaced Lombardi. After Byrd's departure, Carroll decided to have it be a drums, bass, and piano trio.
In the 1950s Carroll and her trio worked on Me and Juliet by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The decade saw her career ebb due to changing musical tastes and personal concerns.
Later career
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. In 1978 she toured with Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson. In the following two decades she became known as a cabaret performer.
In the current decade Carroll was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award and the "Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz".
Personal life
In September 1954 Carroll married Joe Shulman, a member of the trio. The marriage lasted less than three years due to his death from a heart attack in 1957 at age 33. She subsequently married bandleader Bert Block and had a daughter.
Discography
- 1991 Live at the Carlyle (DRG)
- 1993 This Heart of Mine (DRG)
- 1995 Everything I Love (DRG)
- 2003 Live at Birdland (Harbinger)
- 2007 I Wished On the Moon (Venus)
- 2008 Something to Live For (Harbinger)
- 2010 How Long Has This Been Going On? (Harbinger)
- 2016 Barbara Carroll Plays at Birdland (Birdland Records)