Additional Photos
Master of the trio are Bill Charlap, Peter Washington and Kenny Washington. I first discovered Bill from the many albums he graces on the Criss Cross Jazz Label.
This is a label who records some of the most phenomenal players and Bill have made several albums for them, each just as solid as the next. Tonight, here at the second set at Catalinas on a Saturday night, Bill has chosen to perform compositions by, Hoagy Carmichael, Kenny Dorham, Alan Wilder as well as many other great composers. Bill has the beautiful classic standard bag all wrapped up. He plays with such great sensibilities making every piece ever so slightly his own. His signature is almost beautiful piano music itself! Kenny Dorham’s “Escapade” is deliciously marvelous.
If you can recall, back in the day, Red Garland, Paul
Chambers and Arthur Taylor ruled the world of the trio and were “THE” rhythm
section to have on your recordings. Well, this is certainly true but, the torch
had to be passed on to someone in the ranks and when you see Peter and Kenny on
so many recordings these days, you know who now holds the flame. The
Bill vocally sounds like the weary traveler (just getting over a cold and all) but, on piano, love and beauty prevail. He is such a romantic and gives each standard a new found inspiration. His body exhibits the dynamic emotion he puts in to every note. His gaze may fool you into thinking that he is looking at you in the audience but actually, he is listening intently to the other 2/3rds. The recipe calls for one part bass, one part drums and you can add as much piano as you like. It really does not matter how much of each ingredient you pour in the mix, it always comes out sweet!
Kenny is so wonderfully swift, soft and perfect on the brushes. His foundation is solidly structured to hold up a trio that is warm and colorful in their approach to the classic side of the music. Peter speaks like a man who does not have to raise his voice to be heard. His ideas are clear, clean and powerful enough to command thought and attentive listening. You never have to ask the question twice because you heard it clearly the first time.
If you are looking for class, style and beautiful approaches to some old melodies then you have come to the right place and the right place is the Bill Charlap Trio!
Coming up a
LeRoy Downs
