Feature by Russ Musto (New York City Jazz Record)

It’s hard for Bill Charlap to imagine becoming anything other than a jazz pianist. The son of the late Broadway composer Moose Charlap and vocalist Sandy Stewart is recognized as one of the top interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Charlap credits his parents with giving him strong musical roots, explaining, “I don’t ever remember a time when I didn’t play piano. I tried to imitate what my father was doing; he had great energy and was very dynamic. He wasn’t a pianist or singer, he was a songwriter and a great theater writer. His playing was so infectious that other composers asked him to do backer auditions of their songs for them.” The pianist is influenced by his mother, too. “Sandy is a great singer. I’ve always heard her turn a phrase in my inner ear; I hear certain things that she does musically. She sang with Benny Goodman in the ‘60s. We’ve made records for Ghostlight and Blue Note. We performed together for years at the Algonquin and Feinstein’s; she’ll join us at the Y. A child hears his mother’s voice and it must do something psychically. But neither parent was a jazz musician, so a kid has to find his own way.”

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Bill Charlap on TKA