Bill Charlap

William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap"^[1]) is an American jazz pianist and educator.

Bill Charlap
Background information
Birth name	William Morrison Charlap
Born	(1966-10-15) October 15, 1966 (age 58) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Chiaroscuro, Criss Cross, Blue Note, Double-Time, Venus, Impulse!, Blue Note Records
Website	www.billcharlap.com

Early life and education

Born in New York City,^[2] Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singer Sandy Stewart. Stewart was a regular on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall television series and had a hit recording in 1962 with "My Coloring Book".^[2][3] Charlap is a distant cousin of the jazz pianist Dick Hyman.^[4]

Charlap began playing piano at the age of three.^[2] He studied classical music in addition to jazz.

Career

Early in Charlap's career, he was a member of Gerry Mulligan's band, first recording with it in 1989. He has also worked with Benny Carter, Tony Bennett, Phil Woods, Scott Hamilton, Ron Carter, and others. In 1993, he released his first album under his own name, Along With Me. In the mid-1990s, 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.^[5] In 1995, he joined the Phil Woods Quintet.^[3]

In 1997, Charlap first recorded with a trio that included the unrelated musicians Peter Washington (double bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). This trio continued to record and perform live through the 2020s. Charlap has been nominated for multiple instrumental Grammy Awards. Somewhere was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. Live At The Village Vanguard was nominated in the same category at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, and Uptown, Downtown at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.^[6]

In addition to the instrumental jazz recordings that he has released, Charlap has frequently recorded with singers. He recorded Love Is Here to Stay (2004) and Something to Remember (2012) with his mother, Sandy Stewart. In 2016, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, an album featuring Charlap and Tony Bennett, won the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. As a backing musician, he has recorded with Carol Sloane, Freddie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, and others.

Charlap appears at least twice a year for engagements at jazz clubs, including the Village Vanguard.^[7] Since 2001, he has recorded as a member of the studio group New York Trio for the Japanese label Venus Records with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart.^[8]

Charlap succeeded Dick Hyman as artistic director of New York City's 92nd Street Y Jazz in July six-program series after Hyman's 20th year in 2004. He remained director through 2023.^[9] He and his wife, Canadian jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, released an album of piano duets Double Portrait on Blue Note Records/EMI.^[10]

In 2008, Charlap became part of The Blue Note 7, a septet formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded an album in 2008, Mosaic, which was released in 2009 on Blue Note/EMI, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January to April 2009.^[11] The group plays the music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and his wife Renee Rosnes.

In September 2015, Charlap became the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.^[2]

Personal life

He married the Canadian jazz pianist Renee Rosnes in New York City on August 25, 2007.^[12] He has two daughters from a previous marriage and one stepson from Rosnes’ previous marriage to Billy Drummond.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Year released	Notes
1991–1993	Along with Me	Chiaroscuro	1994	Trio, with Sean Smith & Andy Eulau (bass; separately), Ron Vincent (drums)
1993	Bill Charlap & Sean Smith	Progressive	1993	Co-leader duo, with Sean Smith (bass)
1993	Piano & Bass	Progressive	1994	Co-leader duo, with Sean Smith (bass)
1995	Michael Moore/Bill Charlap	Concord Jazz	1995	Co-leader duo, with Michael Moore (bass)
1995	Souvenir	Criss Cross Jazz	1995	Trio, with Scott Colley (bass), Dennis Mackrel (drums)
1996	The Gerry Mulligan Songbook	Chiaroscuro	1997	A posthumous tribute to Gerry Mulligan (saxophone), with former members Ted Rosenthal (piano), Dean Johnson (bass), Ron Vincent (drums)
1996	Distant Star	Criss Cross Jazz	1997	Trio, with Sean Smith (bass), Bill Stewart (drums)
1997	All Through the Night	Criss Cross Jazz	1998	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
1998	'S Wonderful	Venus	1999	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2000	Gift	Ashbrown Productions	2000	Quartet, with Mark Hodgson (bass), Stephen Keogh (drums), Louis Stewart (guitar)
2000	Written in the Stars	Blue Note	2000	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2000	Contrasts	Double-Time	2001	Co-leader, duo with Jon Gordon (alto sax)
2000	Stairway to the Stars	Blau Records	2022	Quartet, with Mark Hodgson (bass), Stephen Keogh (drums), Louis Stewart (guitar)
2000	2gether	Nagel-Heyer	2001	Co-leader, with Warren Vaché (cornet, flugelhorn)
2001	Artfully	Urban Beauty	2001	The European Jazz Piano Trio (Mark Hodgson bass), Stephen Keogh (drums))
2001	Blues in the Night	Venus	2001	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2001	Stardust	Blue Note	2003	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums), plus guests Tony Bennett (vocals), Frank Wess (tenor sax), Jim Hall (guitar), Shirley Horn (vocals)
2002	The Things We Did Last Summer	Venus	2002	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2003	Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein	Blue Note	2004	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2003	Love You Madly	Venus	2003	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2003	Live at the Village Vanguard	Blue Note	2007	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums); in concert
2004	You Taught My Heart to Sing	HighNote	2006	Co-leader, duo with Houston Person (tenor sax)
2004	Love is Here to Stay	Blue Note	2005	Co-leader, with Sandy Stewart (vocals)
2004	Stairway to the Stars	Venus	2005	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2005	Plays George Gershwin: The American Soul	Blue Note	2005	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums), plus guests Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Slide Hampton (trombone), Phil Woods (alto sax), Frank Wess (tenor sax)
2005	Begin the Beguine	Venus	2006	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2006	Thou Swell	Venus	2007	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2007	Always	Venus	2008	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums))
2008	Stardust	Venus	2008	New York Trio (Jay Leonhart (bass), Bill Stewart (drums)) with Ken Peplowski
2009	I'm Old Fashioned	Venus	2010	with Peter Bernstein (guitar), Peter Washington (bass)
2009	Double Portrait	Blue Note	2010	Co-leader piano duet, with Renee Rosnes (piano)
2011	Artfully Vol. 2	Blau Records	2016	The European Jazz Piano Trio (Mark Hodgson bass), Stephen Keogh (drums))
2011	Something to Remember	Ghostlight	2012	Co-leader, with Sandy Stewart (vocals)
2015?	The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern	Columbia	2015	Co-leader, with Tony Bennett (vocals) with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2015	Notes from New York	Impulse!	2016	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2017	Uptown, Downtown	Impulse![13]	2017	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2021	Street of Dreams	Blue Note[14]	2021	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2023	And Then Again	Blue Note	2024	Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)
2025?	Elemental	Mack Avenue Records[15]	2025	Co-leader, with Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals)

As a member

The Blue Note 7

• Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records (Blue Note, 2009) – recorded in 2008

Other Blue Note appearances

• Bill Charlap, Elvis Costello, Hank Jones, Joe Lovano, Dianne Reeves, Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (Blue Note, 2007) – compositions of Billy Strayhorn

As sideman

With Harry Allen

• Harry Allen Plays Ellington Songs with the Bill Charlap Trio (RCA Victor, 2000) – recorded in 1999
• Blues for Pres and Teddy (Swingbros, 2011)

With Ronnie Bedford

• Tour de West: Where the Beboppers Roam (Ronnie Bedford, 1998)
• Just Friends (Progressive Records, recorded live 1993, released 2002)

With Keter Betts

• Bass Buddies & Blues (Keter Betts Music, 1999)
• Bass, Buddies, Blues & Beauty Too (Keter Betts Music, 1999)
• Pinky's Waltz: Keter Betts, Live At Montpelier! (Jazzmont, 2002)

With Ruby Braff

• You Brought a New Kind of Love (Arbors, 2004)
• Variety is the Spice of Braff (Arbors, 2002; Charlap plays piano on 6 tracks)

With Jon Gordon

• Ask Me Now (Criss Cross Jazz, 1994)
• Spark (Chiaroscuro, 1995)
• Witness (Criss Cross Jazz, 1996)
• Evolution (ArtistShare, 2009)

With Conrad Herwig

• Heart of Darkness (Criss Cross, 1998)
• Hieroglyphica (Criss Cross Jazz, 2001)

With Jay Leonhart

• With His Friends (Live At Fat Tuesday's May 13-15, 1993) (DRG Records, 1993)
• Great Duets (Chiaroscuro, 1999)

With Carol Sloane

• When I Look in Your Eyes (Concord Jazz, 1994)
• The Songs Carmen Sang (Concord Jazz, 1995, Phil Woods plays on 7 tracks)
• The Songs Sinatra Sang (Concord Jazz, 1996, with Frank Wess)
• The Songs Ella & Louis Sang (Concord Jazz, 1997, with Clark Terry)

With Sean Smith

• LIVE! (Chiaroscuro, 1999)
• Poise (Ambient Records, 2001)

With Byron Stripling

• Stripling Now! (Nagel–Heyer Records, 1999) – recorded 1998
• Byron, Get One Free... (Nagel–Heyer, 2001)

With Phil Woods

• 1996: Mile High Jazz: Live in Denver (Concord Jazz, 1996)
• 1996: Astor & Elis (Chesky Records, 1996)
• 1996: Live 1996 (Revelation, 1998)
• 1997: Chasin' the Bird (Venus, 1998)
• 1997: Celebration (Concord Jazz, 1997))
• 2000: Voyage with the Bill Charlap Trio at the Floating Jazz Festival Aboard the QE2 (Chiaroscuro, 2001)
• 2002: The Thrill is Gone with strings (Venus, 2003)
• 2002: The Great American Songbook, Volumes 1 & 2 (Kind of Blue, 2006)
• 2004: This is How I Feel About Quincy (Jazzed Media, 2004)
• 2008: Ballads & Blues (Venus Records, 2009)

With others

• Tony Bennett & Diana Krall, Love Is Here to Stay (Verve/Columbia, 2018)
• Tony Bennett, Duets: An American Classic (Columbia, 2006; Charlap plays piano on one track)
• Gene Bertoncini, Gene Bertoncini with Bill Charlap and Sean Smith (Chiaroscuro, 1998)
• John Burr, In My Own Words (Cymekob, 1996)
• Ann Hampton Callaway, Easy Living (Sin-Drome Records, 1999; Charlap plays on 5 tracks)
• Freddy Cole, Music Maestro Please (HighNote Records, 2007)
• Dena DeRose, Love's Holiday (Sharp Nine, 2002; Charlap plays piano on one track)
• Trudy Desmond, Make Me Rainbows (Koch, 1995)
• Johnny Frigo, Johnny Frigo's DNA Exposed! (Arbors, 2001)
• Steve Gilmore, Reflections In The Night (JazzMania Records, 1996)
• Scott Hamilton, Back to New York (Concord Jazz, 2005)
• Mary Cleere Haran, This Funny World: Mary Cleere Haran Sings Lyrics by Hart (Concord Theatricals, 1994; Charlap plays piano on 7 tracks)
• Barbara Lea / Bob Dorough / Dick Sudhalter, Hoagy's Children - Songs Of Hoagy Carmichael Volume One and Volume Two (Audiophile, 1994)
• Kevin Lutke, Fallen Wood (Ampersand Records, 1996)
• Brian Lynch, Brian Lynch Meets Bill Charlap (Sharp Nine, 2003)
• Wynton Marsalis, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis – Cast Of Cats (DMX Music, 2004) – recorded 2003
• Marian McPartland, An NPR Jazz Christmas With Marian McPartland And Friends II (NPR Classics, 2002)
• Marian McPartland, Marian McPartland & Friends: 85 Candles, Live in New York (Concord Jazz, 2005; Charlap plays piano on 3 tracks)
• Marian McPartland, An NPR Jazz Christmas With Marian McPartland And Friends III (NPR Classics, 2006)
• Gerry Mulligan, Lonesome Boulevard (Verve, 1990)
• Houston Person, The Art and Soul of Houston Person (HighNote, 2008; Charlap plays piano on 3 tracks)
• Tim Ries, The Rolling Stones Project (Concord, 2005)
• the Joe Roccisano Orchestra, Leave Your Mind Behind (Landmark, 1995)
• Joe Roccisano, Nonet (Double-Time Records, 1998) – recorded in 1997
• Charles Russo, Clarinet Alla Cinema (Premier Recordings, 1998)
• Randy Sandke, Trumpet After Dark (Evening Star, 2005)
• Gary Smulyan, Blue Suite (Criss Cross Jazz, 1999)
• Marvin Stamm, Mystery Man (MusicMasters, 1993)
• Steely Dan, Everything Must Go (Reprise, 2003; Charlap plays Fender Rhodes on one track and acoustic piano on another)
• Grant Stewart, Grant Stewart + 4 (VideoArts, 2005) – recorded in 2004
• Sandy Stewart, Sandy Stewart and Family (Cabaret, 1994; Charlap is arranger and plays piano) - recorded in 1993
• Barbra Streisand, Love Is the Answer (album) (Columbia, 2009; Charlap plays only on a bonus track: "You Must Believe in Spring")
• Harvie S, Too Late Now (Ward, 2010) - recorded in 1988
• Warren Vaché, Dream Dancing (Arbors, 2004) – recorded in 2003
• Paula West, Come What May (Hi Horse, 2001; Charlap plays piano on 3 tracks)
• Joe Wilder, Among Friends (Evening Star, 2003)
• David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (musical) (Ghostlight Records, 2005)