A regular member of Hard Proof, the Azmaris, and the Alex Coke/Carl Michel Sextet, vibraphonist and percussionist Carolyn Trowbridge has amassed credits with Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodélicos, Black Pumas, Graham Reynolds, Conspirare, and the bizarre steel pans cover band Pan Rocks. Finally leading her own band, the omnivorous Trowbridge uses her debut album Found Memories to showcase her own wide-ranging compositions and experiences. The Latin-flavored minor key groove of “Duchess of Sheba,” for example, contrasts starkly but cleanly with the misty morning dream of the smoky “Chopin’s Seance.” Likewise, the burbling train tune “Tookey’s Engine” diverges nicely from the gorgeous ballad “The Lonely Frost Flower.” Then there’s showcase pieces like the frisky “Grackle vs. Tacotarian” (based on a very Austin experience) and the heartfelt contemplation “The Old Woman Who Never Grew Older.” Neither sounds much like the other, yet both could have come only from the same musical wellspring. The album’s bookends – the joyous “Thank You for the Memories, Thank You for the Laughs” and the wistful “Onward” – relate most directly, carrying the same vibe with different emotional cores. Illuminating a series of remembrances, Found Memories beautifully showcases snapshots of a fulfilling life.
This article appears in March 27 • 2026.