About Bill Charlap
William Morrison Charlap ) is an American jazz pianist and educator.
Born in New York City, 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". Charlap is a distant cousin of the jazz pianist Dick Hyman.
Charlap began playing piano at the age of three. He studied classical music in addition to jazz.
Early in Chaplap's career, he was a member of with Gerry Mulligan's band, and first recorded with Mulligan 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. In 1995, he joined the Phil Woods Quintet.
In 1997, Charlap first recorded with a trio that included the unrelated musicians Peter Washington and Kenny Washington . This trio continued to record and perform live through the 2020s. In addition to the instrumental jazz recordings that he has released, Charlap has frequently recorded with singers. He recorded Love Is Here to Stay and Something to Remember 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. 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.
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 and his wife, Canadian jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, released an album of piano duets Double Portrait on Blue Note Records/EMI.
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