Bill Charlap

[Larry Kart]

I feel a bit funny about what might be seen as picking on Charlap, but to my mind (based on some but far from comprehensive experience with his music), there's something kind of odd going on here.

About nine years ago I bought one of Charlap's early albums (it may have been his first under his own name), "Souvenir" (Criss Cross), in part because at the time I'd come to trust Gerry Teekens' taste. And it was pretty good -- not highly individual but fluent/sober, kind of like a variation in temperament on the playing of the late Dick Katz.

Over time I heard Charlap as a sideman on a few things, and while he seemed rather chameleon-like, fitting in with the relative heat and harmonic edginess of trombonist Conrad Herwig, and playing OK as well in more in-the-tradition settings, I was damn well puzzled by two albums from the early 2000s from his working trio (with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington), "Written on the Stars" and "Stardust" (both on Blue Note).

Some stylistic shape-shifting in this (or rather that) day and age is not without precedent, especially when all the material is standards. But on both albums it sounded like Charlap had consciously vowed not to do anything harmonically (or rhythmically, but mainly harmonically) that would have been out of place at, say, the Hickory House in 1955. I say "consciously" because I can't imagine that anyone of Charlap's age and musical background could have produced these performances other than by willing himself to, in effect, forget or ignore all that had happened in the history of jazz piano since '55 and a good deal that had happened before that as well.

Now I'm OK on a case by case basis with stylistic shape-shifting when the goal is to inhabit or re-inhabit worthwhile more or less ensemble-oriented music of the fairly distant past, like that of, say, Clarence Williams, which France's Les Petit Jazz Band does with insight and emotional commitment, leaving room for quite individual solo contributions by the likes of clarinetist Alain Marquet. But what was there about the cocktail jazz of the Hickory House c. 1955 that calls for its virtual re-creation, and this on the part of a player who presents himself as an improvising jazz musician? (BTW, any sampling of the music of two pianists who worked in that milieu at that time, Barbara Carroll and Marian McPartland, will yield playing of considerable zest and inventiveness that leaves the Charlap of "Written on the Stars" and "Stardust" sounding virtually embalmed.)

Not that I've brooded over this, but I wondered what led Charlap to do what it sounded to me like he was doing. I couldn't imagine that it was a natural stylistic evolution on his part, but if it was essentially calculated and gig-oriented, was there really a demand in, say, the NYC area, where Charlap mostly worked, for this kind of would-be musical-time traveling and for Charlap's IMO quite static end results?

Then yesterday, I ran across and (shame on me) bought for $2 a copy of Charlap's "Live at the Village Vanguard" (Blue Note) trio album from 2007. Things were as before but even more so and perhaps odder. A ballad like "Autumn in New York" was even more static, if that were possible -- harmonically and rhythmically vanilla in what again I can only assume was a willed manner. But the performance of George Wallington's "Godchild" (a piece that Charlap played quite nicely in 1995 on "Souvenir" in his aforementioned neo-Dick Katz manner of the time) was now -- the only term I can think of -- absolutely mincing, marked by a host of coy accents and phrases so "shaded" that they pretty much disappeared in the act of playing.

What the heck was this? I thought, on the way to Half-Price Books to sell the darn thing for a buck.

Does anyone have a clue? To me it's like musical science fiction, a trip to an alternate world that leads me to wonder whether the planet I thought I lived on still actually exists.

[Dmitry]

I've seen him live twice or three times over these 20 years; last time being in Smoke about 8 months ago with the Washingtons rhythm section. By no means can I call myself a keyboard authority, yet to these ears his playing is unimaginative, and predictably-boring. His "interpretations" of the American Songbook are automaton-like, and whatever compositions by or associated with Bill Evans that he lays his hands on just suck any kind of life out them.  Every time I hear a molasses consistency standard on my Pandora Bill Evans station, I know it's him. 

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I don't remember him being quite that bad!  It occurred to me that maybe making records accompanying his mother might have something to do with what you're hearing, but it's hard to even speculate there without being quite insulting to Bill and his mom.  I'll have to listen again to the little I have.  And there is 'cocktail music' that's quite sparkling...

[danasgoodstuff]

As a member in good standing of my local chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club, I am well-acquainted with appeal of looking at the past with rose colored glasses on and imagining that it was a better world and trying to grab a piece of it.  But as well with the limits to approaching life that way.  If I know anything at all about the past, it's that it was never just one thing and it never stood still either.  IMHO the only legit reason to go back musically, other than self-indulgence, is to find a path not taken at the time and see where that might lead going forward.  Listening Bill's Bernstein tribute now, Some Where, some time, some how, somewhat.  It's pleasant enuff to leave on, but there's plenty of room there for someone to do a deeper dig into Leonard's oeuvre. Whether his harmonic, rhythmic, and other choices here are truly 1955 or not, I'll leave to others to determine.  It certainly seems old-fashioned enough to me.

Edited November 2, 2020 by danasgoodstuff

[JSngry]

I'll say this for him, he dresses like he sounds!

 

[danasgoodstuff]

20 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I'll say this for him, he dresses like he sounds!

 

Now that's funny, which reminds me of guys in the Studebaker club much younger than me who are far too young to even remember when they were still being built.

Edited October 31, 2020 by danasgoodstuff

[Peter Friedman]

Well, since a number of people are piling on to Bill Charlap, I will suggest another view. Unfortunately Charlap's Bernstein album as well as he other fairly recent albums on Blue Note are not good examples of what I like so much about his playing.

Larry compared his playing to Barbara Carrol and Marian McPartland from the 1950's at the Hickory House. I strongly disagree. Barbara Carrol's playing never seemed more to me than perfectly acceptable cocktail music. Though I came to quite enjoy many much later sessions by Marian McPartland, her Hickory House period , in my opinion, lacked substance and was not close to her  far better later albums on Concord, Halycon and perhaps another label.

To my ears Bill Charlap is a master of taking the many popular tunes from the great American Songbook and enriching them harmonically and rhythmically so that they are terrific. his playing says far far more to me than those early albums by Carrol and McPartland. Charlap is not a bebop pianist, so I hear no influence from Bud Powell, Barry Harris or Sonny Clark. He also does not follow in the footsteps of pianists such as McCoy Tyner, or Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea.

In certain ways he seems to follow the lineage of Teddy Wilson , Hank Jones, Eddie Higgins and Jimmy Rowles, though he does not sound like any of them. There are many jazz pianists who I very much enjoy listening to from both the past and the present. Let me give one example that will be unacceptable to many. As much as I enjoy listening to Red Garland's trio recordings, I find them much less interesting than the trio dates by Bill Charlap on both Criss Cross and Venus.

I have never accepted the view that it was illegitimate to play the music in the style associated with the past. Of course my opinion is very personal, but if I enjoy Mainstream Swing, or Bebop, or Hard Bop, or West Coast Jazz, I see nothing at all wrong with younger musicians who find that a musically satisfying direction.   Each musician hopefully brings something of his or her self into their playing, but no style should be out of bounds. 

Some listeners want everything they hear to be in line with the current most up yo date styles of jazz. They may make exceptions for the dead masters, but anyone younger than 35 or 40 is expected to show they are up to date, whatever that means. Remember Bill Charlap is 54 years old, no longer a youngster just staring out. He grew up listening to and playing with many musicians  older than himself and to playing and learning from them.  

I listen to music for basic enjoyment. Some styles are for me highly appealing, some not so much. 

 

 

 

 

[JSngry]

Here's the good friends, tonight is nothing special.

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

Well, since a number of people are piling on to Bill Charlap, I will suggest another view. Unfortunately Charlap's Bernstein album as well as he other fairly recent albums on Blue Note are not good examples of what I like so much about his playing.

Larry compared his playing to Barbara Carrol and Marian McPartland from the 1950's at the Hickory House. I strongly disagree. Barbara Carrol's playing never seemed more to me than perfectly acceptable cocktail music. Though I came to quite enjoy many much later sessions by Marian McPartland, her Hickory House period , in my opinion, lacked substance and was not close to her  far better later albums on Concord, Halycon and perhaps another label.

To my ears Bill Charlap is a master of taking the many popular tunes from the great American Songbook and enriching them harmonically and rhythmically so that they are terrific. his playing says far far more to me than those early albums by Carrol and McPartland. Charlap is not a bebop pianist, so I hear no influence from Bud Powell, Barry Harris or Sonny Clark. He also does not follow in the footsteps of pianists such as McCoy Tyner, or Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea.

In certain ways he seems to follow the lineage of Teddy Wilson , Hank Jones, Eddie Higgins and Jimmy Rowles, though he does not sound like any of them. There are many jazz pianists who I very much enjoy listening to from both the past and the present. Let me give one example that will be unacceptable to many. As much as I enjoy listening to Red Garland's trio recordings, I find them much less interesting than the trio dates by Bill Charlap on both Criss Cross and Venus.

I have never accepted the view that it was illegitimate to play the music in the style associated with the past. Of course my opinion is very personal, but if I enjoy Mainstream Swing, or Bebop, or Hard Bop, or West Coast Jazz, I see nothing at all wrong with younger musicians who find that a musically satisfying direction.   Each musician hopefully brings something of his or her self into their playing, but no style should be out of bounds. 

Some listeners want everything they hear to be in line with the current most up yo date styles of jazz. They may make exceptions for the dead masters, but anyone younger than 35 or 40 is expected to show they are up to date, whatever that means. Remember Bill Charlap is 54 years old, no longer a youngster just staring out. He grew up listening to and playing with many musicians  older than himself and to playing and learning from them.  

I listen to music for basic enjoyment. Some styles are for me highly appealing, some not so much. 

 

 

 

 

Excellent assessment with which I agree.

[bertrand]

His parents are Moose and Squirrel Charlap.

[Quasimado]

15 hours ago, JSngry said:

I'll say this for him, he dresses like he sounds!

 

According to Med Flory, Warne Marsh dressed like a beekeeper!