Bill Charlap Trio Presented by the BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation & Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland, world-renowned Grammy® award-winning jazz pianist & recording artist (Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Wynton Marsalis) swings into BLU for a must-hear masterclass (4PM) & concert event (7PM, 9:30PM)! Featuring Peter Washington, Kenny Washington.
Concert + Masterclass

One of the world’s premier jazz pianists, Bill Charlap has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. Charlap is the artistic director of 92Y’s Jazz in July Festival in NYC, and in 2016 will celebrate his 12th Anniversary as director. He has also produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the JVC Jazz Festival and the Hollywood Bowl. Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap are the recipients of a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop album, for their 2015 release, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern.
 

 

“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…”
– Time Magazine

 
Bill Charlap’s long-awaited new recording debuts on Impulse Rennaisance Records with, THE BILL CHARLAP TRIO: NOTES FROM NEW YORK. It features the trio (with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington) in peak performance, and was recorded immediately following a two-week run at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Lyricists Alan & Marilyn Bergman have said, “Bill Charlap’s playing is unique, warm and intelligent. He not only plays the melody – he also plays the lyric. And, for lyric writers, that’s as good as it gets.”
 
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 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 CD, Love Is Here To Stay (Blue Note).
 
Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes. The two artists often collaborate in a duo piano setting. In 2010 Charlap and Rosnes released Double Portrait (Blue Note).
 

About BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation

Committed to the preservation of America’s treasured art form of jazz, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation (BJMF) is a new program developed by the founders of BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA) that brings “front-row” jazz education performance & mentorship opportunities to student musicians and art lovers alike by presenting a series of masterclasses led by top visiting musicians from all over the world.
 
Recipient of a 2015 Knight Arts Challenge grant award by the Knight Foundation, BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation expands upon the essence of Akron, Ohio’s award-winning live jazz destination, BLU Jazz+ Akron (BJA), launched in Fall 2014. Learn more at blujazzmasterclass.org.
 

$25 (advance), $30 (door), $20 (students w/ photo ID)