Baikida Carroll - Shadows and Reflections 1982

One of the better accompanists and section musicians, Baikida Carroll has added textures, colors, and bright solos to various free jazz ensembles and groups, among them the Black Artists' Group (BAG) in St. Louis. He's been an active composer, having written film soundtracks and scores and displayed a striking, full sound and solo approach. Carroll attended Southern Illinois University and the Armed Forces School of Music before directing the BAG's free jazz band. He went to Europe with other group members in the mid-'70s and recorded in Paris in 1974. Carroll's recorded with Oliver Lake, Michael Gregory Jackson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jack DeJohnette, and David Murray in the '70s and '80s, as well as cutting a solo album in the late '70s and heading a combo in the early '80s. A 1994 session on Soul Note features Carroll in fine form with a quintet. Since that time, Carroll has kept busy performing and teaching and released the critically praised Marionettes on a High Wire on OmniTone in 2001. AMG.
 

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Baikida Carroll - Door Of The Cage 1995}

Baikida Carroll has long been one of the top trumpeters in freer forms of jazz, but he has rarely had opportunities to lead his own record date. This 1994 CD is a happy exception, and it features Carroll playing free bop and atmospheric ballads in a quintet with tenor saxophonist Erica Lindsay, pianist Steve Colson, bassist Santi Debriano, and drummer Pheeroan akLaff. The ten compositions are all Carroll's, and they cover a variety of moods and grooves. The music overall is more accessible than one would expect, making this an excellent introduction to Baikida Carroll's music. AMG.

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Baikida Carroll - Shadows and Reflections 1982

Trumpeter Baikida Carroll was once again in the company of alto saxophonist Julius Hemphill for a January 1982 recording with pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Pheeroan Ak Laff for Soul Note called Shadows & Reflections. The material here sounded like it could have been a late Blue Note recording; in fact, there were times when the horns brought back flashbacks of the Jackie McLean-Charles Tolliver front line of the '60s. And for all their avant-garde credentials, this group sounded very comfortable and at home with the squirrelly free bop displayed here. AMG.

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