Bill Charlap Plays George Gershwin: The American Soul CD

Personnel: Bill Charlap (piano); Bill Charlap; Peter Washington (double bass); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Frank Wess (tenor saxophone); Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Slide Hampton (trombone); Kenny Washington (drums).
Audio Mixer: Joel Moss .
Liner Note Authors: Joel Moss ; Will Friedwald.
Photographer: Carol Friedman.
Arranger: Bill Charlap.
Bill Charlap, a versatile pianist based in swing who is also a longtime member of the Phil Woods Quintet, pays tribute to the great George Gershwin throughout this likable set. Although some of the ten Gershwin songs are slightly modernized, the music is very much in the tradition. There are up to four horns on some numbers, with the best individual moments coming from veteran tenor Frank Wess on "How Long Has This Been Going On" (sounding a bit like Paul Gonsalves), trombonist Slide Hampton on "A Foggy Day," and altoist Woods whenever he plays. Charlap's longtime trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington is featured on "Who Cares?," and Charlap takes the brief closing "Soon" as an unaccompanied solo. Nothing all that revolutionary or revelatory occurs but the music is pleasing overall, swinging and creative within its boundaries. ~ Scott Yanow
Acclaimed pianist Bill Charlap stays in songbook mode for PLAYS GEORGE GERSHWIN: THE AMERICAN SOUL, an album that follows up his Grammy-nominated SOMEWHERE: THE SONGS OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN. Charlap clearly has a deep love for the American pop/jazz canon, and moving from the work of Bernstein to Gershwin proves to be completely natural for the tradition-minded performer.
Charlap's longtime rhythm section--bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (who are unrelated)--are on hand here, and the trio's utterly telepathic interplay makes every track sound effortless, whether they're gliding through the upbeat "Who Cares?" or the delicate, heartbreaking "I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful)." A quartet of horns, including jazz legends Phil Woods (alto saxophone) and Slide Hampton (trombone), joins the ensemble on a handful of tracks, with the two elder statesmen almost--but not quite--stealing the show on a few occasions. Throughout the album, Charlap's piano playing is as pristine and nuanced as ever.Down Beat (p.70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "The playing is consistent, suave and even-tempered in varying combinations from solo piano to the full group."
JazzTimes (p.89) - "[A]t once elliptical and full-bodied, fleet and thoughtful, amusing and serious."