A pianist of exceptional talent, Bill Charlap swings with lyrical grace as a post-bop improviser and accompanist while earning acclaim for his readings of standards. He entered the scene in the 1990s alongside Gerry Mulligan and later collaborated with Benny Carter, Phil Woods, and Clark Terry. After several well-regarded releases, he reached a broader audience through the 1998 album All Through the Night and the 2000 album Written in the Stars, both showcasing his longstanding trio featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Charlap has also recorded with vocalists, among them his mother, singer Sandy Stewart, and shared a Grammy with Tony Bennett for their 2015 project Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. He continues to issue trio recordings, among them the 2017 Grammy-nominated Uptown, Downtown, 2021’s Street of Dreams, and 2024’s And Then Again.
Charlap was born in 1966 and raised in New York City within a musical family as the son of Broadway songwriter Moose Charlap and singer Sandy Stewart. Drawn to the piano early, he attended New York’s High School of Performing Arts before briefly enrolling in college and then choosing to focus on independent practice and performance. Pianist Bill Mays championed him, suggesting Charlap as his successor in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. During this period Charlap also performed with Benny Carter, Clark Terry, and Frank Wess while serving as a favored accompanist for singers including Tony Bennett, Carol Sloane, and Sheila Jordan. In 1995 he secured a prized piano position in the Phil Woods Quintet.
Charlap steadily matured as a bandleader throughout these years. His first recording as leader, Along with Me, appeared in 1994, followed by Souvenir in 1995 and Distant Star in 1996. The 1997 album All Through the Night marked the initial appearance of his trio with the unrelated Washingtons—Peter on bass and Kenny on drums. This same ensemble achieved its major-label breakthrough in 2000 with the widely praised Blue Note release Written in the Stars.
Two further albums surfaced in 2001: 2Gether, recorded with Warren Vaché, and Contrasts, recorded with Jon Gordon. ’S Wonderful reached stores in 2002, as did Stardust, the first in a series of composer-focused projects. Stardust centered on Hoagy Carmichael, 2004’s Somewhere explored Leonard Bernstein, and 2005’s Plays George Gershwin presented ten songs by the composer Charlap has called “the American soul.” Also in 2005 he issued Love Is Here to Stay with his mother, vocalist Sandy Stewart. The concert recording Live at the Village Vanguard followed in 2007.
In 2010 Charlap paired with pianist Renee Rosnes for the duo album Double Portrait. Two years later he reunited with his mother, singer Stewart, for Something to Remember. Their 2015 collaboration Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern with Tony Bennett earned a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Charlap then rejoined his longtime trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington for the 2017 release Uptown, Downtown. Subsequent trio efforts include 2021’s Street of Dreams and 2024’s And Then Again, the latter captured live at the Village Vanguard.
