Bill Carrothers

Bill Carrothers (born July 13, 1964 ) is a jazz pianist and composer based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has cited Clifford Brown, Shirley Horn, and Oscar Peterson as influences on his development as a musician. Carrothers performs without shoes to better feel the piano pedals, and sits in a chair rather than on a traditional piano bench in order to achieve his preferred seating height.

Career Carrothers began playing piano at age five, studying with his church organist before learning jazz from pianist Bobby Peterson. By age 15 he was performing in jazz clubs, and in 1982 he briefly attended North Texas State University. He performed at the Knitting Factory, The Village Gate, and Birdland as well as Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.

Carrothers has performed in France at the New Morning, Nevers Jazz Festival, and Marciac Festival, in Belgium at the Audi Jazz Festival and Jazz Middelheim, and he headlined the Rising Star Tour in October, 2000 through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In his home state of Michigan, Carrothers performed a solo piano concert at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in April, 2010, and he made his Monterey Jazz Festival debut in September, 2011. In 2011, Carrothers became an adjunct professor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

Accolades Carrothers was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for Jazz in 2004 and was nominated for the Les Victoires du Jazz (French Grammy Award equivalent) in 2005 and 2011. 1998 The Blues and the Greys Bridge Boy Solo piano 1995 After Hours, Vol. 4 Go Jazz Trio, with Billy Peterson (bass), Kenny Horst (drums) 1999? The Language of Crows Bridge Boy Duo, co-led with Wendy Lewis (vocals) 1999 Duets with Bill Stewart Dreyfus Duo, with Bill Stewart (drums) 2000 Swing Sing Songs Warner Bros. Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) 2001 The Electric Bill Dreyfus With Michael Lewis (tenor sax, soprano sax), Reid Anderson (acoustic bass, electric bass), Dave King (drums) 2002 Ghost Ships Sketch Trio, with Anton Denner (soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax), Bill Stewart (drums) 2003 Armistice 1918 Sketch With Mark Henderson (contrabass bass clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers and Knob St Choir (vocals) 2003–04 Shine Ball Fresh Sound New Talent Trio, with Gordon Johnson (bass), Dave King (drums) 2004 I Love Paris Pirouet Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) 2004 Civil War Diaries Bridge Boy Solo piano; in concert 2006 No Choice Minium 2006 Keep Your Sunny Side Up Pirouet Trio, with Ben Street (bass), Ari Hoenig (drums) 1992 Home Row Pirouet With Gary Peacock (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) 2008 Play Day Bridge Boy With Jean-Marc Foltz (clarinet), Matt Turner (cello), Jean-Philippe Viret (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums), Jay Epstein (percussion), Peg Carrothers (vocals) 2009 Apnea Abeat 2009 Joy Spring Pirouet Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) 2009 A Night at the Village Vanguard Pirouet Trio, with Nicolas Thys (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) 2010 Excelsior Outnote 2012 Castaways Pirouet Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Dre Pallemaerts (drums) 2009 Family Life Pirouet Solo piano 2012 Sunday Morning Vision Fugitive 2012 Love and Longing La Buissonne As sideman Brownmark, Just Like That (Motown, 1988) Scott Colley, Subliminal (Criss Cross, 1997) Dave Douglas, Moving Portrait (DIW, 1998) Happy Apple, Part of the Solutionproblem (No Alternative, Liberation Mob 1998) Gordon Johnson, Trios (Igmod, 1996) Dave King, I've Been Ringing You (Sunnyside, 2012) John McKenna, Apparition (Igmod, 1998) Andy Scherrer, Wrong Is Right (TCB, 2007) Andy Scherrer, Ornithology (Kelso, 2013) Bill Stewart, Snide Remarks (Blue Note, 1995) Bill Stewart, Telepathy (Blue Note, 1997) Bill Stewart, Space Squid (Pirouet, 2015) Ira Sullivan, After Hours (Go Jazz, 2000) Bobby Z., Bobby Z (Virgin, 1989) Kevin Brady, Common Ground (LRP Records, 2007) Kevin Brady, Zeitgeist (Fresh Sounds New Talent Records, 2009) Kevin Brady, Ensam (LRP Records,2016) Kevin Brady, Plan B (Ubuntu Music,2021)