A rare treat for Minnesota jazz fans is the return of internationally acclaimed pianist Bill Carrothers. The Excelsior, MN native has been garnering rave reviews throughout the U.S. and Europe for his latest recording, Armistice 1918; now he's back for one-night stands at the Dakota in the company of top-gun bassist Gordy Johnson and the maniac of percussion, the Bad Plus' Dave King (December 20),  and at Rossi's with the talented bassist Chris Bates and elegant drummer Jay Epstein (December 21).

Carrothers has hardly followed the typical path of a musical prodigy. Growing up on the edge of the Twin Cities metro area, he heard lots of jazz at home, from his father's recordings of Dixieland and Gerry Mulligan to his mother's singing and piano playing. He started out with lessons from his church organist at age five—and he initially hated the piano. "My mom made me play. She was determined that all her children would at least have a working knowledge of the piano... She used to set the oven timer for a half-hour and I'd have to just sit there, even if I didn't play, I had to just sit there and stare at the keys and I just hated it. I wanted to play baseball." But eventually Carrothers was turned on to jazz by his piano teacher, the late Bobby Peterson, who eschewed the academic exercises; instead "it was all sitting down and listening to records, playing along with them, or turning the stereo off and playing duets." Peterson also introduced young Bill to Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and most importantly, Miles Davis. Starting with Davis' Greatest Hits, he was mesmerized: "I wore it out. I listened to it 100 times. I'd never heard anything like that before."

After playing in his high school jazz bands, Carrothers moved on to the jazz program at North Texas State on a scholarship. However, he found the formality of college music studies frustrating. "I decided that the best way to learn it was to start buying every kind of jazz music I could find and start listening to it... There's a whole body of music I had memorized...It kind of creeps into your playing. It's not something that's learned and crammed like a test. It becomes part of the way you speak." Gradually, Carrothers gained experience playing with visiting artists like James Moody and Billy Higgins, and recorded a well-received CD (A Band in All Hope) in 1986. By 1988, he'd had enough of college studies and headed to New York, where he recorded with Gary Peacock and Bill Stewart, and had gigs at the Village Gate, Birdland, and Visiones. But the big city never felt like home, and after five years and leading one recording (The Artful Dodger), Carrothers gave up on the Big Apple, recognizing he preferred a quieter, more rural life than the frenetic pace of most jazz musicians. "The whole schmoozing, going to clubs, being seen and hanging out is not my thing at all."

Photo by Howard A. Gitelson
After trying upstate New York (Woodstock) for a couple years, he returned to the Midwest, and now makes his home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For much of his music, however, he spends his time in Europe, where he finds more work and a more open attitude toward jazz. Now 40, Bill Carrothers has had a relatively low profile but has established a strong following, touring throughout the U.S. as well as European venues. As a sideman he has appeared with Joe Beck, Scott Colley, Buddy DeFranco, Dave Douglas, Curtis Fuller, Billy Higgins, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Dewey Redman, Charlie Rouse, and Toots Thielemans, among others; as a leader he has released 10 acclaimed recordings. In 2000, he headlined the prestigious Rising Star Tour throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. European honors have included the 2000 French Diapason d'Or de l'année and the German Schallplatten Preis for his Birdology recording, Duets With Bill (Stewart), and appearing on numerous Top 10 of the Year lists in France (in 1999 and 2000).

Departing from the acoustic piano, Carrothers played Fender Rhodes on the recording, Electric Bill (Dreyfus), with Bad Plus partners Reid Anderson and Dave King, a release dubbed by Tom Surowicz (Star Tribune) as one of the best recordings of 2002, "as serious and sensuous and spacey as Miles Davis in his pioneering fusion period." Noted Jazziz (2002), "Carrothers' playing recalls that of Andrew Hill and Herbie Nichols, pianists both known for their patient improvisations and composerly senses of intrigue."

Recently, Bill Carrothers has taken on projects reflecting his interest in American history, including tributes to the Civil War. His new release, Armistice 1918 (Cryptogramophone, 2004), featuring Bill Stewart on drums, Drew Gress on bass, and additional support from Jay Epstein's percussion, Mark Henderson's contrabass clarinet, and wife Peg Carrothers' vocals, is earning rave reviews: "Carrothers' two-disc tone poem to WWI, inspired by the work of Great War poets and partially funded by a war museum in the Somme region of France, is by turns jubilant and haunting. ... It evokes a depth of feeling and reflection worthy of the event that inspired it" (Jazziz, January 2005). Noted the Jazz Society of Oregon, "This is serious material to be listened to closely. It has clout, poignancy, and a strong message for our country at this very moment."

Photo by Howard A. Gitelson
Both historian and musician, this keyboard monster is too seldom back "home." Don't miss the jazz bargain of the year--a $5 cover at the Dakota (December 20^th) and no cover at Rossi's (December 21^st).

Bill Carrothers at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis, 1010 Nicollet Mall, 7 pm on Monday, December 20; www.dakotacooks.com; at Rossi's Blue Star Room, downtown Minneapolis in the Metro Building at 9^th and Marquette, 8 pm on Tuesday, December 21; www.bluestarjazz.com