Carol Lou Trio

Carol Lou Trio
Jazz pianist Carol Lou Woodward, Richmond, Indiana, 2006
Background information
OriginRichmond, Indiana
GenresJazz
Years active1950s (1950s)–1970s (1970s)
LabelsParker
Past members

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 belied 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 continued 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 recordings, 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]

Now in her nineties, Carol Lou is a weekly entertainer at Saigon Paris Bistro, in Fort Myers, Florida.

  1. ^ Gil Jacobs; Joe Agro (2011). Harold Jones: The Singer's Drummer. Author House. p. 14. ISBN 9781463446291. 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. ISBN 9781463446291. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  5. ^ Carol Lou Trio, URL accessed October 1, 2010
  6. ^ John Hedges obituary, URL accessed April 15, 2013