Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)
The Bill Charlap Trio
Released May 22, 2007
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group 2008
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lh4RwP_GrqaIDGxCOVuoKkE4mqNom0cpk
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/5uDPYrht89D3qNCmR2Slco?si=o2Bq5DgyQd-u_KL0Fm7mww
About:
Grammy award winning pianist Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person. Born in New York City, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. His father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman, and was a regular on the Perry Como show. She earned a 1963 Grammy nomination for her recording of “My Coloring Book.” In 2005, Charlap and Stewart released the acclaimed CD, Love Is Here To Stay (Blue Note).
In 1997 Charlap formed his trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. In 2000, he was signed to Blue Note Records and received two Grammy Award nominations, for Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard. He is known for his interpretations of American popular song.. Time magazine wrote, “Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.” In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album. In April, the Bill Charlap Trio released, Notes from New York, their debut recording for the Impulse label. Alan Morrison’s five-star review in Down Beat stated that the new recording is “a masterclass in class.”
In 2017, Charlap will be celebrating his 13th year as Artistic Director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at 92Y. He has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Symphony Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, and the two artists often collaborate in a duo piano setting. In 2010 Charlap and Rosnes released Double Portrait (Blue Note). Bill Charlap is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
Track Listing:
1. Rocker (Gerry Mulligan) 4:32
2. Autumn in New York (Vernon Duke) 6:51
3. Godchild (George Wallington) 3:57
4. The Lady Is a Tramp 6:16
5. It’s Only a Paper Moon (Harold Arlen / E.Y. “Yip” Harburg / Billy Rose) 6:17
6. My Shining Hour 7:29
7. All Across the City (Jim Hall) 7:22
8. While We’re Young (William Engvick / Morty Palitz) 5:27
9. Last Night When We Were Young (E.Y. “Yip” Harburg) 6:23
Personnel:
Bill Charlap: piano
Peter Washington: bass
Kenneth Washington: drums
Recorded live in September 2003 at the Village Vanguard, New York, NY
Producer, Engineer and Mixer: Joel Moss
Assistant Engineers: Jan Folkson, Spiro Theofilatos
Mastering: Scott Hull
Photography: Donald Dietz
Design: Amanda Wray
Creative Director: Gordon H. Jee
Review:
Bill Charlap delivers on this live date with a trio documented on four
previous Blue Note releases. Recorded at the Village Vanguard during the club’s
weeklong 70th anniversary celebration, this CD pulls together a tasty selection
of material and even tastier performances. Charlap with Peter Washington (bass)
and Kenny Washington (drums) have worked together for a decade and their
chemistry has produced an appealing cohesion.
This is a well-paced offering with solid
recitals on every track. The opening number, Gerry Mulligan’s “Rocker, is
an up-tempo affair that builds with intensity, contrastingly followed by a
dreamy version of “Autumn In New York.
The well-chosen selection of material goes on.
George Wallington’s “Godchild displays Charlap’s sense of humor with a
number of quotes in his bright solo, ably punctuated by Washington’s drums.
Bassist Washington’s lyric lead highlights the up-tempo “The Lady Is A
Tramp while Charlap’s solo again bespeaks of humor and a hint of pianist Teddy
Wilson.
Charlap gets to the bare bones of “It’s Only A Paper Moon,
reharmonizing the chords and playing it as a ballad. “My Shining Hour is a
lesson in how to exceed the speed limit and not get caught; a showcase for
Charlap’s fast fingering skills and drummer Washington, who keeps the
impossibly rapid beat going.
The CD finishes with Jim Hall’s “All Across
The City (where piano evokes pictures of the city in the wee small hours), the waltz
“While We’re Young (done with a light and playful touch) and “Last
Night When We Were Young, Charlap staying behind the beat on the latter to
produce a breathless effect.
This CD is a well thought-out statement from a
unit that works wonderfully well together, enhanced by the inherent energy of a
live recording. There’s good listening here.
Marca Hillman (All About Jazz)
