Playing a
melody is an art in itself, one that necessitates experience, intuition and
humility. In the jazz capitol of the world, New York City, Bill Charlap is
considered one of the great interpreters of melodies, songs written for
musicals, and Broadway shows or films that when moved from their original
source, become the standards that jazz artists make their own.
For his
debut impulse! recording, Notes From New York, Charlap has defined and refined
his position in the pantheon of New York piano stylists, whose highly
influential jazz piano icons include Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, and Jimmy
Rowles. Tony Bennett, with whom Charlap has recently collaborated with on the
Grammy® Award-winning album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,
effuses further that "in the tradition of Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, George
Shearing, Count Basie and Duke Ellington - Bill Charlap joins them as one of
the greatest American musicians of our time."
Charlap has
hundreds of songs at his fingertips and he does justice to each one. He is
capable of highlighting the subtlety of a phrase, mining the depth of a
harmony, while allowing the meaning of the lyric to come through, even in an
instrumental context. His touch has a rare elegance, and in this respect he is
one of the heirs to a jazz piano tradition whose essential figures include the
aforementioned, Jones, Flanagan and Shirley Horn - whom Charlap has known
personally - as well as Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans and
Sonny Clark.
The nine
tracks of Notes from New York present the longstanding Bill Charlap Trio
(featuring Kenny Washingon and Peter Washington) in peak performance, recorded
immediately following a two-week run at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club
Coca-Cola. The opener is the familiar "I'll Remember April,"
featuring the spirited brushwork of Kenny Washington, and the closer is a
transcendent, solo ballad interpretation of the well-known, "On the Sunny
Side of the Street."
The
remainder of the album is comprised of standards that are rarely performed,
some of them truly hidden treasures. For example, "Make Me Rainbows"
is from the original soundtrack of the 1967 film Fitzwilly, which was written
by John Williams a few years before he made his name alongside Steven Spielberg
and George Lucas. The depth of the groove on this track is a testament to how
these three musicians swing as one. "Not a Care in the World,"
written by Vernon Duke, was a staple of Bobby Short's repertoire at the Café
Carlyle. Charlap plays a dancing solo that doubles in intensity when Kenny
Washington picks up his sticks. The sublime, "There Is No Music"
develops with a poetic sense of space as Charlap expresses a full range of
tonal colors. With "A Sleepin' Bee," Charlap delivers a solo that is
filled with humor and, it seems, all the unpredictable character of a bumblebee
in flight.
Charlap
first discovered "Little Rascal on a Rock" on the Thad Jones/Mel
Lewis album, New Life. Years later, he received a copy of the piece from Thad's
older brother, Hank. On this track, the trio swings with elasticity and
precision. The most interior track of the album is the haunting "Too Late
Now" by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, with Peter Washington's poignant
bass solo being a highlight. Written by guitarist Tiny Grimes and made immortal
by Charlie Parker, "Tiny's Tempo," reminds us that bebop is an
integral part of the trio's musical world.
Charlap has
drawn material from the American Popular Songbook for many of his recordings,
including albums devoted to the music of George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein,
Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers and Cole
Porter. He continues to celebrate his love of song, while leading the trio he
formed in 1997, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. The
trio has a peerless understanding of the major figures of their respective
instruments, and the chemistry between them stands as one of the great rhythm
sections of our time. Their integrity is unwavering, and they project an
effortless virtuosity. The experience of hearing the Bill Charlap Trio live is
electrifying.
Early in his
career, Charlap was championed by two saxophone giants - Gerry Mulligan and
Phil Woods - who appreciated his talent, his assurance as an accompanist, the
finesse of his playing, and his unfailing sense of swing. Charlap's connection
to standards is in his blood: his father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap,
and his mother, Sandy Stewart, is a Grammy® Award-nominated singer who toured
with Benny Goodman.
Composers
and lyricists including Yip Harburg, Charles Strouse, and Alan and Marilyn
Bergman would often visit Charlap's family home, and yet that context only
partly explains the intimate nature of the relationship that the pianist shares
with this repertoire. Charlap also learned from his experiences playing with
such elder masters as Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Jim Hall, Dick Hyman, Eddie
Locke and Frank Wess who further taught him how to reveal the riches that exist
in this music.
From the
Village Vanguard to the Café Carlyle, Bradley's, The Knickerbocker, High School
for the Performing Arts, The 92nd St Y, Lincoln Center, The Hit Factory, Nola
Studios, Carnegie Hall, The Village Gate, Town Hall, The Algonquin, and The
Apollo Theatre, Bill Charlap is the sound of his city. Notes from New York is
confirmation that the Bill Charlap Trio has arrived at its destination.
Bill Charlap
· Notes From New York
impulse!
Records · Release Date: April 1, 2016
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