Bill Charlap the new Bill Evans

American Audiophile

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Aug 17, 2010
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There is on the scene now and has been for a time a jazz pianist in the vein of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones and some others as well. With Bill Charlap the jazz trio is very alive and well. If you ever wondered who is the heir apparent to these legends it is in the hands of Bill Charlap and those are very good hands indeed. Review follows below.

This is the sort of album that gives the mainstream a good name. It's wonderfully recorded, especially at the low end of the spectrum: Peter Washington's bass and Kenny Washington's kick drum speak with authority yet never overwhelm Charlap's piano. The trio's approach is distinctive, marked by tight and fairly elaborate arrangements, thrilling shifts in tempo, and wholly surprising modulations and harmonic choices on Charlap's part.

The overall classicism of the group's sound recalls Tommy Flanagan. Charlap is at his most animated on the opener, a brisk reading of Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night." He's more laid-back and deliberate on midtempo tracks like Johnny Mercer's "Dream" and the Gershwins' "Lorelei," where the Washingtons' bone-deep sense of swing really comes to the fore. Another, even more contemplative side of Charlap comes out on an achingly slow "One for My Baby" and a pair of Harold Arlen tunes, "The Man That Got Away" and "It Was Written In the Stars." However, the most comprehensive and bracing showcases of Charlap's talent are Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and Frank Loesser's "Slow Boat to China." Setting up the Berlin tune with the seldom-played introductory verse, Charlap then crafts a contrapuntal head arrangement that recalls early McCoy Tyner.

After a round of concise and inventive solos, Charlap restates the melody in the original key of F minor, but then modulates to E minor for the concluding A section. (The pop cliché is to modulate up a half-step, not down.) The trio then vamps on a bluesy G7 tonality before wrapping up with a decorative coda. Analogous surprises also crop up during "Slow Boat to China." Charlap takes the melody at a medium tempo and then moves through a series of shifting chords before launching into a faster tempo for the solos. He plays the tune in B flat, but takes the second half of his final chorus in D — a seemingly random event. Then he returns to B flat for the first half of the out melody, halves the tempo, and modulates to A major (again, down a half-step) to finish the song.

All this is to say that Charlap is an uncommonly imaginative arranger, not to mention a great player. He's also unusually resourceful in terms of repertoire. Arlen, Porter, Gershwin, Mercer, Rodgers and Hart: These are all big-name songwriters, but Charlap astutely picks some of their lesser-known songs. And speaking of lesser-known songs, Charlap also offers a moving tribute to his late father, Broadway composer Moose Charlap, with a solo piano rendition of "I'll Never Go There Anymore." This is perhaps the clearest example of how Charlap invests his material with a genuinely personal touch.

Tracks

1 In the Still of the Night
2 Dream
3 The Man That Got Away
4 Blue Skies
5 Where Have You Been?
6 Where or When
7 On a Slow Boat to China
8 One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
9 I'll Never Go There Anymore
10 Lorelei
11 It Was Written in the Stars

The Trio:

Bill Charlap - Piano
Peter Washington - Bass
Kenny Washington - Drums

This is on the Blue Note Label and is catalog number 72435 27291 28.

Title: Bill Charlap Trio - Written In The Stars

In this CD, Charlap covers some classic tunes like a graduate from the Bill Evans school of elegant understatement. His trio mates contribute similarly economical but steady rhythms. I can't help myself from tapping quietly in time and smiling contentedly at Charlap's phrasings. Just the right amount of energy and refinement for the cocktail hour and dinner. Pour yourselves some 'tinis, do some fine dining and enjoy. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

I don't know how I missed Charlap. It is true, as some have remarked, that he is reminiscent of Tommy Flanagan--expecially in terms of touch and the very, very thoughtful way he plays (compare Charlap's ballads here with something like "Lady Be Good" on Flanagan's tribute to Ella album from a few years back). I can also understand the reference to Bill Evans; but Charlap doesn't have that sometimes off-putting (to me, at least) Evans murkiness and obscurity in this playing. Beyond that, I've rarely heard a piano in such total touch with the bass and drums. This is a made-in-heaven trio I'm definitely going to pursue.

Click the link to see him Live At The Iridum in NYC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2WNwi78SFA

Live At The Village Vanguard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Og-DP_kaAg

If you don't have Bill Charlap cataloged in your library, then you have missed some of the finest jazz trio music recorded. As they use to say this is great stuff. Correct that oversight and add Bill Charlap to your collection.
 
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jazdoc

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Aug 7, 2010
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Good to see some love for Bill Charlap. Here are a couple of other discs that are worth tracking down:

Love Is Here To Stay: Duets with the singer Sandy Stewart (his mother)
Stardust: With Ken Peplowski...available on vinyl!
 

American Audiophile

New Member
Aug 17, 2010
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Stuart, FL
Yep got both of those, plus Things We Did Last Summer on vinyl as well. Just wished he toured more.
 

MC352

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Aug 27, 2010
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Thanks for posting this, I will have to check it out, and add it to my music collection.
 

Jeffy

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Apr 27, 2014
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I saw Bill twice live at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Detroit. I talked to him and sat right next to the Steinway Grand. He is a class act.
 

Vicov

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Apr 25, 2019
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Excellent player with a sensitive touch. I may be wrong but I believe that he has done work with Tony Bennett & was in fact the pianist on the album of duets with Tony Bennett & Diana Krall.
 

24bit

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Jun 14, 2013
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here he is with master bassist Michael Moore. Superb album and well recorded too.
 
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thedudeabides

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Jan 16, 2011
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If you don't have Bill Charlap cataloged in your library, then you have missed some of the finest jazz trio music recorded. As they use to say this is great stuff. Correct that oversight and add Bill Charlap to your collection.

Thank you so much for this post. My favorite genre is the "Jazz Trio" and Bill and his group are very talented. This is the reason why I participate in WBF. It's all about the music.
 
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24bit

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2013
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Excellent player with a sensitive touch. I may be wrong but I believe that he has done work with Tony Bennett & was in fact the pianist on the album of duets with Tony Bennett & Diana Krall.
Yes that's him;
 
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Kenc

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2019
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Yes...I have a lot of his music. Heard him at a club here along with his wife, Rene Rosnes, a Canadian jazz pianist. Fantastic set but it was a little brief for the cover charge they were asking :)
 

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