On January 14, 2022 at 8:00 PM, one of the leading ensembles in jazz, the GRAMMY Award-nominated Bill Charlap Trio, will perform at Flushing Town Hall.
Featuring GRAMMY-winning pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington, the Bill Charlap Trio was formed nearly 25 years ago in 1997 and earned GRAMMY nominations for Uptown Downtown (Impulse!/Verve), Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (both on the Blue Note label).
Their 2016 album, Notes from New York (Impulse!/Verve), earned a five-star review in Downbeat, which hailed it as “a master class in class.” More recently, the trio recorded with Tony Bennett and Diana Krall on the chart-topping, GRAMMY-nominated Love is Here to Stay. The Bill Charlap Trio tours all over the world, and its New York engagements include regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard.
In November 2021, the Bill Charlap Trio released their latest album Street of Dreams. Jazz Times says ”Street of Dreams is simply a reminder of how terrific an album of straight-ahead piano-trio standards can be.” At their performance on January 14, the trio will play some of their new songs on Flushing Town Hall’s stage.
Founder Bill Charlap is a leading force in jazz. Born in New York City, he began playing the piano at age three. His father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman, appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Perry Como shows, and earned a GRAMMY nomination for her recording of “My Coloring Book."
Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time, ranging from Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. He is known for his interpretations of American popular songs and has recorded albums featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin.
In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern was awarded the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Album. It features Bill Charlap and Tony Bennett together and in collaboration with The Bill Charlap Trio and in duo piano performances with Charlap’s wife, renowned jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes.
2021 marks the 17th year of Charlap’s artistic directorship of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at the Kaufmann Concert Hall at 92Y. He has produced several concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, an evening of George Gershwin’s music at the Hollywood Bowl, and is the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
The New York Times, describes Bill Charlap as “Modest and low-key off the bandstand, at the piano he is voluble and intense…the pianist moved through an erudite selection of jazz and American Songbook standards…with masterful technique and a stylistic range that encompassed rollicking stride piano, bebop virtuosity and harmonically opulent modernism.”
Peter Washington is one of the most in demand and recorded bassists in modern jazz, with a discography of over 400 recordings. Born in Los Angeles, Washington played classical bass as a teen and majored in English Literature at U.C. Berkeley, where he became interested in jazz. He was invited by Art Blakey to join the Jazz Messengers in New York. From there, Washington became part of two of jazz’s most celebrated trios: the Tommy Flanagan Trio, and for the past thirteen years, the Bill Charlap Trio. Washington’s freelance work roster is a “who’s who” of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin, Bobby Hutcherson and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. In 2008, Washington became part of The Blue Note 7, a septet formed in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded the album Mosaic and toured the U.S. in 2009.
Kenny Washington was born in Brooklyn. In 1977, while still in his teens, he worked with Lee Konitz and his nonet. He has been a member of the Bill Charlap Trio for the past thirteen years and has performed and recorded with dozens of major artists, giving him a discography of hundreds of titles. Artists include Benny Carter, Johnny Griffin, Ron Carter, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Tommy Flanagan, Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval and Benny Goodman. Washington is a noted jazz historian and radio personality; he has written liner notes and helped prepare re-releases by Art Blakey, Count Basie and others, and has also been a disc jockey on WBGO and Sirius satellite jazz radio. He currently serves on the faculties of Purchase College, State University of New York and The Juilliard School, teaching drums and jazz history.
In-person tickets are $25/$20 Members. Those unable to attend in person can join the livestream and tune in virtually for free at https://www.youtube.com/flushingtownhall/live, but donations are greatly appreciated. For tickets and more information, visit www.FlushingTownHall.org or call (718) 463-7700 x222.
COVID Policy: In adherence with Mayor De Blasio’s Covid policy for performance venues, Flushing Town Hall will require all visitors ages 12 and up, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination. Masks will be required at all times for everyone. For more details on Flushing Town Hall’s Covid-safety measures and vaccine requirements, please visit: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/covid-safety.
Flushing Town Hall is accessible by car, bus, train and foot – located a short distance from the 7 train - at 137-35 Northern Blvd., in Flushing, Queens. Access for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility is available.
Bill Charlap Trio
Friday, January, 14, 8 PM
https://www.flushingtownhall.org/bill-charlap-trio
In-Person Tickets: $25/$20 Members
Virtual Tickets: Free. Donations are appreciated.
Flushing Town Hall presents the GRAMMY award-nominated Bill Charlap Trio, with GRAMMY award-winning pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Praised by The Guardian as“one of the best piano trios ever,”the Bill Charap Trio which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022, is considered one of the leading jazz groups. The trio’s most recent recording features them with Tony Bennett & Diana Krall on the chart-topping, GRAMMY-nominated Love is Here to Stay. The Bill Charlap Trio tours all over the world, and their New York engagements include regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard.
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Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization that receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Major Bill de Blasio; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Gonzalo Casals; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Corey Johnson; Council Members Costa Constantanides, Daniel Dromm, Barry Grodenchik, Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz, Paul A. Vallone, Jimmy Van Bramer; Howard Gilman Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, Guru Krupa Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
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