Barbara Carroll, American jazz pianist, Died at 92

  Music

Barbara Carroll was born (Barbara Carole Coppersmith) on January 25, 1925, in Worcester, Massachusetts and died on February 11, 2017.

She was an American jazz pianist.

Carroll began her classical training in piano at age eight, but by high school decided to become a jazz pianist.

Carroll attended the New England Conservatory of Music for a year but left it as it conflicted with working for bands.

Leonard Feather dubbed her “the first girl ever to play bebop piano, in 1947.”  The following year her trio, which featured Chuck Wayne on guitar and Clyde Lombardi on bass, worked briefly with Benny Goodman.

Following that a little later on, Charlie Byrd replaced Wayne and Joe Shulman replaced Lombardi.

When Byrd had left, Carroll decided that she just wanted a drums, bass, and piano trio.

During the 1950’s 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.

During September 1954, she married Joe Shulman, a member of the trio.

Her marriage lasted less than three years due to his death from a heart attack in 1957 at age 33.

Subsequently, she married bandleader Bert Block and had a daughter, Suzanne.

Barbara Carroll passed away at 92 years old.