Bill CarrothersİAndrea Canter

Widely acclaimed throughout Europe where he spends most of his touring time, Twin Cities native Bill Carrothers returns home this week to visit friends and family. It’s a working vacation, however, as Bill has gigs on both sides of the river, giving us plenty of opportunity to enjoy one of modern music’s most cerebral and unpredictably creative pianists. The fun starts on July 30th at the Artists Quarter (9 pm), continuing at the Dakota on July 31st (7 pm) and again on Friday, August1st with the trio Red Planet (Dean Magraw, Chris Bates, Jay Epstein), as part of the Dakota’s Late Night series, starting at 11:30 pm. 

Bill 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 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…” 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.”

Red PlanetİAndrea Canter

Bill’s Birdology recording, 2000’s Duets With Bill (Stewart), was awarded the German Schallplatten Preis. Departing from the acoustic piano, Carrothers played Fender Rhodes on The Electric Bill (Dreyfus, 2002) with Bad Plus partners Reid Anderson and Dave King, a release dubbed by Tom Surowicz (Minneapolis 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.” Carrothers’ 2005 release, I Love Paris (Pirouet), followed a more mainstream direction, focusing on tunes from the 20s-40s.  

Turning sharply again, in late 2005, Carrothers, with Twin Cities’ cohorts Gordon Johnson and Dave King, released Shine Ball (Fresh Sound/New Talent)—mostly spontaneous improvisations. While on the surface there are incongruities—lyrical piano passages in tandem with oddball percussion gadgetry, quirky “preparations” of the keyboard challenged by pure acoustic basslines―it all melds together to produce a unique yet accessible, often playful result, always challenging the listener to find the common threads, to anticipate the next turn. Noted John Kelman (All About Jazz), “Shine Ball is spontaneous composition of the highest order.”  [Click here for a Jazz Police review]  Never one to take a break if there’s a piano nearby, Bill Carrothers released Keep Your Sunny Side Up (Pirouet) in early 2007, featuring bassist Ben Street and drummer Ari Hoenig. [Click here for a Jazz Police review.] 

Bill’s interesting American history led to several projects, including his tributes to the Civil War (The Blues and the Greys, Bridge Boy Music, 1997; Armistice 1918 (Sketch, 2004), and the live solo CD, Civil War Diaries, Bridge Boy Music, 2005). Armistice was nominated for the 2005 French “Grammy” equivalent, Les Victoires du Jazz, and was performed live at the Artists Quarter in January 2008. 

It’s always an unpredictable adventure when Bill Carrothers comes to town, and one that should never be missed. We have three chances this week.  

Hear Bill Carrothers at the Artists Quarter, 408 St Peter Street in downtown St. Paul at 9 pm on July 30th; solo at the Dakota Jazz Club at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis at 7 pm on July 31st; again with Red Planet at the Dakota at 11:30 pm on August 1st. More information at www.artistsquarter.com and www.dakotacooks.com