Reviving a golden age
Bill Charlap Trio perform another uplifting chapter from the great American songbook
Bill Charlap Trio
Street Of Dreams
Bill Charlap (piano), Peter Washington (double bass), Kenny Washington (drums) Blue Note 3821931
Golden-era jazz runs right through pianist Bill Charlap and it pours from his fingertips. His dad, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer best known for the enduring 1954 musical Peter Pan; his mother was the singer Sandy Stewart, who made her radio debut at age nine and went on to tour with jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman.
Charlap himself started playing at age three and perhaps not surprisingly has become a pre-eminent interpreter of the great American songbook. He excels in a small group and there’s none better in this space than his regular trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, formed in 1997. Their records together have come to represent a high benchmark for swinging synergy and this latest outing adds to the canon.
‘You’re All The World To Me’, made famous by Fred Astaire’s dancing on the ceiling (in the movie Royal Wedding, 1951), is spelled out here with a fleet touch. By contrast, the Billy Strayhorn (1939) tune ‘Daydream’ is a glacially slow, deep blue meditation. It’s not all standards and the trio’s take on Kenny Burrell’s dapper ‘Your Host’ is a polished gem. Altogether, this album is an uplifting listen, a perfect antidote to an anxious, complicated world. ★★★★★