Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap Announce Elemental – A Captivating Jazz Duo Album

Jazz luminaries Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap have unveiled their highly anticipated collaborative album, Elemental, set for release on June 13, 2025, under exclusive license to Mack Avenue Records by DDB Records. This marks their first duo recording, capturing the magic of their sold-out live performances.

The album features a curated selection of jazz standards, showcasing the duo's deep understanding of jazz tradition and impeccable phrasing. Their rendition of "Honeysuckle Rose" exemplifies their natural chemistry, with Bridgewater's dynamic vocals dancing atop Charlap's jaunty piano lines. Bridgewater describes their approach as playful and spontaneous, emulating the whimsical nature of Fats Waller's original composition.

Elemental is available for pre-order on CD and limited edition 180-gram vinyl. Fans can also stream the lead single, "Honeysuckle Rose," on various platforms.

Dee Dee Bridgewater, born Denise Eileen Garrett on May 27, 1950, in Memphis, Tennessee, is a three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and Tony Award-winning actress. Raised in Flint, Michigan, in a music-filled home, she was introduced to jazz early on by her father, Matthew Garrett, a respected jazz trumpeter and teacher at Memphis’ Manassas High School. Her mother introduced her to Ella Fitzgerald’s music, which became an inspiration to Bridgewater throughout her career.

Bridgewater began her professional career as a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in the early 1970s. She later performed with jazz legends such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, and Max Roach. In 1975, she won a Tony Award for her role as Glinda in the Broadway musical The Wiz. Throughout her career, she has released numerous albums, including Dear Ella, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, and Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie with Love From Dee Dee, a tribute to Billie Holiday, both of which earned her Grammy Awards.

Bill Charlap, born William Morrison Charlap on October 15, 1966, in New York City, is a Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist known for his lyrical approach to jazz and American popular song. He began playing the piano at age three and comes from a musical family; his father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer and songwriter, and his mother, Sandy Stewart, is a singer who toured with Benny Goodman and appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall.

Charlap formed his trio in 1997 with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, and the group has become one of the leading ensembles in jazz. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, and Gerry Mulligan. In 2016, his collaboration with Tony Bennett on The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Charlap is also the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey.