Biography
Described in JazzTimes as “an original, a force cutting across all convenient categories”, Carol presents music that dares to provoke the intellect without sacrificing the musical aesthetic.
Originally from Chicago and rural Midwestern towns, Carol performed on keyboards, flute and vocals in local Chicago bands before leaving for Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. After two years at Berklee she traveled with show bands on the East Coast before enlisting in the Army bands as a sax player. She left the Army after seven years, staying in Chicago where she lives today.
She spent nearly 4 years leading the "Lt. Dan Band horn section" playing saxophone with actor/musician Gary Sinise (CSI:New York). She was also cast on a February 2006 episode of the series playing her saxophone. As a member of the “Lt. Dan Band”, she has performed worldwide with tours to Asia, Europe and throughout the US.
Carol is now directing her energy towards her career as a solo artist (piano and vocals). She has recorded four CD’s for Little Beck Music and her most recent recording, "I Can Live With That", featuring internationally renowned drummer Danny Gottlieb (formerly with Pat Metheny) has received critical accaim:
“Singer/songwriter Carol Williams gets into the nitty-gritty of our lives” – All About Jazz .com
“She has a powerful, bluesy bellow, which she adroitly juxtaposes with her tender, lilting flute, serpentining sax, and rolling piano accompaniment. Intelligent lyrics, delivered in Williams’ twangy, Southern accent, sort of like a countrified Laura Nyro. The multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Williams blows a mean tenor sax on “The No-Bail Jail”, and side 2’s opener (and my personal favorite) “I Can Live With That”, with its wonderful, soaring, jazzy flute solos offer more introspective lyrics that relate the autobiographical tale of her integrity in refusing to sell out to commercial interests by writing, dressing, singing, and promoting herself according to whatever the current flavor of the week dictates”- Foxy Digitalis
“Carol Williams is an unusual artist in the best sense of the term. She is a white, female, jazz musician with attitude...... a feminine throwback to the great Mose Allison..” – Indie-Music.com
While her tenor sax and flute hint at her jazz background, her ensemble writing falls into the pop/rock world of singer-songwriter. Vocally, she has been compared to a combination of “Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and Bonnie Raitt”. Her choice of subject matter always provides a provocative commentary on the issues of the day, presented in poetry and lyric that is “rarefied, yet earthy” (Chuck Berg, Jazz Times).
Carol just completed a new CD titled "Letter from Chief Seattle", again featuring the amazing work of drummer Danny Gottlieb. Her next projects are a series of compositions based on subject-matter: the first in the line-up is "Empty Boots, and Other Commentaries on War and Country", is to be completed in January 2008.
Instrumentation
As a soloist--Carol on vocals and keyboards.
As a trio--with bass and percussion.
As a quartet--she's on tenor sax, flute and vocals.
Her quartet includes:
Danny Gottlieb, drums
Kimo Williams, bass
Ben Lewis, keyboards
Discography
Side Artists:
War Stories- LBM 2000
Tracking - LBM 2007
Leader:
Carol Williams - LBM (1991)
Small Town Girl -LBM (1998) (out of Print)
Musical Prayers - LBM( 2000)- (special order only)
I Can Live With That - LBM (2007)
Links
| http://www.carolwilliamssax.com |
| CD Baby Site |
| The Lt. Dan Band |
| Buy Carol's CDs |
| Carols' Main Web Page |