Saxophonist Shelley Carrol hails from a family of gospel singers and musicians in Houston, TX. While attending the University of North Texas (UNT), Carrol earned a spot in the Grammy-nominated One O’clock Lab Band. During the same period, Carrol was invited to join the Duke Ellington Orchestra, an enormous musical opportunity with worldwide exposure. A protégé of the great tenor saxophonist, Marchel Ivery, Carroll shares his musical gift with today’s youth; he currently teaches part-time at West Mesquite High School, gives clinics whenever he can, plans to develop a summer jazz workshop, and introduces young people to jazz at the South Dallas Cultural Center. He says” …music has to be shared to truly be enjoyed.” Carrol, honored in 2007 as the Sammons Jazz Artist of the Year, also plays with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Sheryl Crow, and others, and takes his own quartet to Japan and Europe.