ABOUT JILL
A bluesy, boppy, altogether terrific leader and pianist who chooses a number of rarely heard tunes by heroic players from the past. Jill McCarron has it all at her fingertips. I'm convinced she's headed for a lengthy career, playing so exquisitely. -- George Fendel, High Standards Jazz
McCarron, who in 1995 won the thirteenth annual Great American Jazz Piano competition in Jacksonville, FL, is a superb soloist who comps with perception and assurance. ★★★★☆ -- Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
Jill McCarron’s playing throughout Jazz Motif successfully makes the case that she is one of the top pianists in today’s jazz scene. -- Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
Jill McCarron is an icon of the New York City jazz scene. She's been uptown at Dizzy's, Carlyle, Knickerbocker, Iridium, Harvard Club, Pierre Hotel, Birdland; she's been downtown at Blue Note, Smalls, Mezzrow, Hermana. She has been there and she is there, with a timeless and classic sound and a deeply-rooted jazz sensitivity. -- Jazz Bird Records
Jill McCarron is the real deal. Let’s simply say that she has done her homework and the swinging results are a pure delight. -- High Standards Jazz
A gal that's been knocking them dead for years. A fellow traveler of Randy Brecker and other jazz police certified players, ever since she won her first competition, you can well hear she never looked back. With a set card of classics and chestnuts leading the way, this is a mighty fine calling card for anyone that wants to hear the real deal done right. Hot stuff. -- Midwest Record
Jill McCarron has bop in her blood. A looker and a cooker. -- Jazz Weekly
Born in Minneapolis, MN, Jill spent her childhood and teen years in Canada. She is a graduate of Humber College in Toronto, where she majored in jazz performance and arranging under the tutelage of Ron Collier, who himself had served as arranger to Duke Ellington in the 1970s. While in Toronto she performed regularly with her ensembles in the city's top venues, including George's Spaghetti House and the Montreal Bistro.
Upon being awarded a Canada Council Grant, she made the move to New York City where she attended the New School, where she studied with Richie Beirach, Jim Hall, Kenny Werner and Hal Galper.
Shortly after completing her studies at the New School, the Jill McCarron Quintet won first place in the Cognac Hennessy Jazz Competition, which led to a spot in the national finals in Los Angeles. In 1993 she was a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. In 1995 she secured first place in the 13th annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, FL, whose judges included Horace Silver and Monty Alexander. She was noted in a subsequent article for her "deeply rooted jazz sensibility".
Jill has worked and toured with such notable artists as the great trumpeter Randy Brecker, alto saxist Vincent Herring, tenor saxist Don Braden, guitarist Russel Malone, and bassists Harvie S. and Jay Leonhart. She has performed at Dizzy's Jazz Club at Lincoln Center, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, The Blue Note, Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, and the Iridium. She was resident pianist at New York City's prestigious Harvard Club from 1991-2017, playing American Songbook, classical piano and performing with her jazz trio. She was also featured twice on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, once as a solo guest in November of 1993, and again in November of 2009 with Randy Brecker's quintet.
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Jill's acclaimed album Jazz Motif made the Top 100 Jazz Albums of 2021 on the JazzWeek chart. Her 2024 release Gin with featured artists Vincent Herring and Randy Brecker rose to #11 on the JazzWeek chart. Jill is represented by Jazz Bird Records.