CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Bill Charlap Trio

Zankel Hall
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 8:30 PM

Bill Charlap Trio
·· Bill Charlap, Piano
·· Kenny Washington, Drums
·· Peter Washington, Bass

One of the finest pianists in modern jazz, Bill Charlap leads his acclaimed trio through unique interpretations of the Leonard Bernstein songbook.

Major funding for Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds has been provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Alice Tully Foundation, American Express, Bob and Martha Lipp, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Nash Family Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. A. Alfred Taubman.

Additional funding provided by GWFF USA Inc., and Linda and Stuart Nelson.

Generous support has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Program Notes:

Howard Mandel on
BILL CHARLAP

It’s no surprise—in fact it’s entirely natural—that Bill Charlap is a peerless interpreter of Leonard Bernstein’s musical theater masterpieces. Both men are preeminent New Yorkers, public figures, and committed artists who celebrate the city and the individual within it. Both are romantics, capturing emotion and meaning in sensual sound. Both are populists, admiring and promoting beauty across genres and cultural divides.

Charlap is every bit as musically attuned to the jumpy, colorful, dramatic yet nuanced nature of Manhattan as Bernstein—the iconic conductor, multifaceted composer, and tireless communicator honored by Carnegie Hall’s Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds festival. Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein is Charlap’s 2004 recording with drummer Kenny Washington and bassist Peter Washington, his extraordinary trio mates. Steeped in American popular music, Somewhere is a compilation of the cool, quirky, stately, lyrical, bluesy, defiant, and idealistic themes Lenny wrote between 1944 and 1957. Bernstein’s work is timeless, yet Charlap’s interpretations are utterly contemporary, making Somewhere marvelously here and now.


—Howard Mandel is an author, journalist, broadcaster, and educator.

© 2008 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

Bill Charlap Trio
·· Bill Charlap, Piano
·· Kenny Washington, Drums
·· Peter Washington, Bass
Bill Charlap begins his fourth summer as artistic director of the 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July festival. One of the world’s premiere jazz pianists, Charlap has performed with many leading artists, ranging from Phil Woods and Tony Bennett to Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis. He is known for his interpretations of American popular song and has recorded albums featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein, and George Gershwin.
In 1997 Charlap formed the Bill Charlap Trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (no relation), now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. In 2000 the Trio was signed to Blue Note Records and has since received Grammy nominations for Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and most recently The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard.
Charlap’s experience as concert producer extends beyond Jazz in July. In the mid-90s, he was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Celebration of Johnny Mercer, part of New York’s JVC Jazz Festival. He has produced several concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center and an evening of George Gershwin’s music at The Hollywood Bowl.
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; his mother is singer Sandy Stewart who appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Perry Como shows, and earned a Grammy nomination for her recording of “My Coloring Book.” In 2005 Charlap and Stewart released the acclaimed Love Is Here To Stay (Blue Note). Charlap is married to jazz pianist Renee Rosnes. The two artists often collaborate in duo piano settings.