Carol Lou Trio

Jazz pianist Carol Lou Woodward, Richmond, Indiana, 2006

The Carol Lou Trio was a jazz combo which gained modest popularity in the mid-eastern United States between the 1950s and 1970s, and international distribution of its few recordings. The group was headed by Carol Lou Hedges (born May 20, 1931, Peru, Indiana), whose modest demeanor belies her piano virtuosity and swinging style. Husband and bassist John Hedges was the other permanent member of the group, with various drummers having been employed, including future drummer for the Count Basie band and Tony Bennett, Harold Jones in 1956-57.[1] The trio's reputation spread mostly by word of mouth, but it did release several singles and one album.[2]

Having remarried, Carol Lou Woodward continues to play as a soloist and in small combos in and around her home since 1957, Richmond, Indiana, where Gennett Records produced important early jazz recording, including the first by Louis Armstrong. In 2013 Woodward recorded an album for the Starr-Gennett Foundation called “Rags to Richmond: A Tribute to Ragtime and Starr Piano.” The album includes three compositions by erstwhile Richmond resident May Aufderheide, a leading female ragtime composer.[3]

In 2006, Woodward released a CD featuring solo piano arrangements of jazz and popular music standards, "An Evening With Carol Lou". In 2008 she released a holiday collection titled “Christmas With Carol Lou."

She has said that her favorite pianist is Gene Harris, whose style has been described as "hard-swinging, soulful, blues-drenched".[4] Woodward's considerable talent might have carried her to greater recognition, but she chose instead to raise a family and live quietly.[5]

John Hedges died in October, 2012.[6]

Discography

The Carol Lou Trio

Album
The Carol Lou Trio and Geneta Kern
"Painting The Town" (Parker Records LP 33-102) 1967

Side 1

Side 2

Personnel: Carol Lou Hedges, piano; John Hedges, bass; Jim Parker, drums; Geneta Kern, vocals.

Singles (Released in the 1970s)

Carol Lou Woodward

"An Evening With Carol Lou" (2006, privately issued CD)

"Christmas with Carol Lou" (2008, privately issued CD)

Personnel: Carol Lou Woodward, piano; Greg Hedges, bass

"Rags to Richmond: A Tribute to Ragtime and Starr Piano” (2103 CD, Starr-Gennett Foundation)

References

  1. Gil Jacobs; Joe Agro (2011). Harold Jones: The Singer’s Drummer. Author House. p. 14. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  2. Carol Lou Trio, URL accessed October 1, 2010
  3. "New from Carol Lou!". Starr-Gennett Foundation. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  4. Gil Jacobs; Joe Agro (2011). Harold Jones: The Singer’s Drummer. Author House. p. 15. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  5. Carol Lou Trio, URL accessed October 1, 2010
  6. John Hedges obituary, URL accesses April 15, 2013
  7. The composing of "After Hours" is miscredited on the record's label to "Lou Reed," which has led some to mistakenly associate the song and the Carol Lou Trio with rock musician Lou Reed, who wrote a song of the same title. Collections including the recording are often promoted for sale based on this erroneous association. When asked in 2006, Carol Lou Woodward said she was unfamiliar with any musician or composer named Lou Reed.

External links

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