Bill Charlap Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source

Bill Charlap Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard WBGO Published October 8, 2008 at 9:14 AM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Jazz pianist Bill Charlap has a passion for interpretation. He especially delights in selecting the most attractive showtunes of yesteryear and rendering them with tactful, warmly familiar

gestures. With his longtime cohorts Peter and Kenny Washington (no relation), Charlap returned to the Village Vanguard for a live set, broadcast on air by WBGO and online at NPR Music.

One of today's most celebrated mainstream pianists, Charlap is best known for his rich, sensitive readings of American popular songs. There was plenty of that familiarity in store, with

charming readings of well-known jazz standards such as "Stardust," "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Sophisticated Lady." But Charlap picked plenty of more obscure gems, as well, including

showtunes from the lesser-heard reserves of Harold Arlen and John Williams, and intricate compositions from undersung masters like Gigi Gryce and Lucky Thompson.

With his trio, which has played together for more than a decade, Charlap is capable of spinning storytelling solos at all speeds and styles. All were on display at the Vanguard: the bebop

tempos, the ballad romances, the technical facility, the lyrical flourishes. As usual, Peter Washington delivered pure, resonant tones on bass, and Kenny Washington — whose reputation as a

voracious record collector precedes him — contributed nifty but unobtrusive drum work.

Jazz standards run through Charlap's bloodlines. His mother is singer Sandy Stewart, and his father was Broadway composer Mark "Moose" Charlap, best known for scoring Peter Pan. (He has

accompanied his mother several times on record.) Immersed in American songbook traditions from an early age, Bill Charlap made his name in the jazz world as both a sensitive accompanist and

a strong straight-ahead performer: Early in his career, he was drafted into bands led by saxophone giants Gerry Mulligan and Phil Woods. Charlap has curated several jazz concert series in

New York, and is musical director of the Blue Note 7, an all-star septet put together to commemorate the Blue Note record label's 70th anniversary in an upcoming 51-city, four-month-long

U.S. tour.

In 1996, Charlap linked up with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, who are both highly regarded sidemen in New York. As a trio, they've since recorded five albums together — two of which

have been nominated for Grammy Awards — and appear often in New York and around the world. The Bill Charlap Trio is a popular draw at the Village Vanguard, where it regularly holds two-week

engagements: Appropriately, it's also the scene of the group's latest recording.

Copyright 2021 WBGO. To see more, visit WBGO.