Village Vanguard to Murry’s

November 15, 2007

By Laura Grossman in Vox Magazine
November 15, 2007

Bill Charlap will once again let his fingers dance across the black and white keys in Columbia. His music brings a fresh take to old standards, and his personal spin on classic jazz songs sets the mood in any listening room.
Charlap, along with Sean Smith and Kenny Washington, will kick off the five-show jazz series at Murry’s as part of the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series.
Charlap, who says he has been interested in jazz since he was a child, grew up in a musical family — his father was a Broadway composer and songwriter, and his mother was a singer. This helped to develop his strong love of music. His break into the jazz world came when he joined Gerry Mulligan’s quintet in his early 20s.

“He’s not the most famous of jazz musicians, but he’s played with them,” says Tom Andes, music professor at Stephens College and head of the Tom Andes Trio. “He’s a really strong player. He plays with great musicians, and he has a great lyrical sense, and he is steeped in tradition. So he plays a lot of the old standard tunes.” Andes considers being able to play traditional songs with his own twist to be Charlap’s greatest strength.
“It’s a trio that really delves into the great American songbook,” says Jon Poses, executive director of the Jazz Series. “It’s a really classic jazz piano, bass, drum trio.”
Charlap regularly performs with Washington and Peter Washington as the Bill Charlap Trio. Smith is replacing Peter for this stop on the tour. The trio released its first live record, Live at the Village Vanguard, on May 22 after having played together for 10 years. The Village Vanguard in New York City is one of Charlap’s main venues. The Greenwich Village jazz club is more than 70 years old and has hosted such well-known jazz artists as John Coltrane.
With experience playing in Columbia and New York, Charlap says he thinks the crowds are great in both cities. “It’s a very different atmosphere,” he says. “There’s only one Vanguard, and there’s only one Murry’s. Murry’s is a wonderful scene. I think it’s very unique and very warm and a great listening room.”
Andes, who plays the piano at Murry’s on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights, agrees with Charlap. “There’s always a crowd there,” he says. “What more could you ask for?”
The last time Charlap played in Columbia he performed at Murry’s, in the 2002 - 2003 season, with alto-saxophonist Phil Woods. Poses says they booked Woods for the Jazz Series, and Charlap was an unintentional addition. Even so, Poses knew his reputation and was excited to have him play at Murry’s.
Andes, who saw Charlap last time, says he wasn’t as impressed as he expected because Charlap was following someone. “This will be the first time I’ll be seeing him as a leader, which will be really neat,” Andes says. “He’ll have his own voice instead of being the side guy.”
Poses explains that the jazz series often brings back one player of a band who has performed for the series before and is now working with a different band. Charlap credits an invitation from Poses as the reason for both of his concerts in Columbia. “I thought (Columbia) was a lovely place to be and a great place to play,” Charlap says.