- James Hall (JH) – What's it like being a jazz musician in the boonies?
Bill Carrothers (BC) – I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula and the east edge of the Porcupine Mountains. We are surrounded on three sides by the Ottawa National Forest. Population density in Ontonagon County is 1.7 persons per square mile. There is no jazz here. None. That's one of the things I like about it.
When I play jazz, I try to really play improvised music in concert with my trio and be completely in the moment. We try to tell stories with the music and read our musical diaries to whatever audience shows up. We try to play every night like it's our last night on earth. Usually it's pretty physically and emotionally draining. Then it's over and I go about the rest of my day.
Since my family and my life away from the music are more important than music, I live where those things have the best chance of flourishing. Music is a very important part of my life, but it's just a piece of the pie, not the whole pie.
- JH – To what extent has the jazz scene in the 21st century become less New York-centered? Do the advent of the internet and decline of the record industry affect this?
BC – I'm sure all of the things you mention have had an effect on where people live. But if you're talking about the jazz scene in general, it's also true that jazz musicians are totally different than 60 years ago. What happened to the chain-smoking alcoholics and heroin addicts of yesteryear?
Most of the old timers I grew up playing jazz with were poster children for unhealthy living. Now, jazz musicians are among the healthiest people I know. They're macrobiotic, non-drinking, non-smoking health types who spend their days in the hotel lifting weights, doing yoga, and swimming laps in the pool. Most of them don't even swear anymore. Anyway, the business has changed almost to the point of being unrecognizable, and there are many factors responsible for it. It's too big a discussion for my typing skills.
- JH – Your recordings have varied greatly in ensemble size and theme. What motivates you to record?
BC – I record when I have something new to say. Not necessarily new to the world, but new to me. I like recording and I particularly enjoy the mystery of what is going to come out of recording. It's always something different than what I thought it would be. Also, I enjoy putting a master together, making a coherent storyline out of the various takes.
- JH – Your recordings about the civil war (Civil War Diaries [Bridgeboy Music, 2005], and The Blues and The Greys [BridgeBoy, 1993]) draw on a period of history before jazz as we know it existed. What's it like applying contemporary sounds to not-so-contemporary material?
BC – Fun. I like history and I like music. I like to combine the two, along with the old and the new. History is usually repeating itself so the tide of history is constantly folding back onto itself. In other words, "then" is always part of "now". It's the same with music.
- JH – Family life as a jazz musician: possible?
BC – Not only possible, but preferable. My wife and children and our life here in the woods is far and away the best thing that's ever happened in my life. For me, family life is making me a better musician and, more importantly, a better man. Since you asked about my family life... I recorded a solo CD that will be out in October called Family Life. The music on that CD will answer your question much better than any of my words.
