Here is a classic jazz artist who literally died in the gutter, a real shame considering the fact that he could have built a small hut for shelter out of the various sides he appeared on. The glory days of tenor saxophonist Robert Carroll, sometimes credited as Bob Carroll but not to be confused with the vocalist and actor of the same name, included a two-year stint with the wonderful Fats Waller beginning in 1941. By then the saxophonist had been performing professionally for more than a decade, beginning as a member of a local Louisville combo named the Kentucky Derbies with an obvious eye for local happenings. He first went on the road with the great Benny Carter in the late '20s, and in 1930 was a member of the Horace Henderson outfit.

In 1931 he signed on with Don Redman, working out well with this group and staying on for more than five years. In the spring of 1937 he replaced Cecil Scott in the Teddy Hill band, then went back to Redman until the outset of 1940, when he jumped over to the Teddy Wilson Big Band. This was followed by the work with Waller; any collection devoted to the final years of the latter artist's prolific career will feature some blowing from Carroll. The musical happiness was interrupted by military service, an experience that seems to have drained some of Carroll's enthusiasm for performing. Changing musical styles might also be part of the reason that this saxophonist began working less and less. Rather than switching over to the horn sections of rhythm blues and rock bands, he became a vagrant and died of both malnutrition and alcoholism. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi