The Bill Charlap Trio

The 2024 True Blue Jazz Festival takes great pride in presenting Mr. Bill Charlap…the unsurpassable Piano Master in Jazz today. After a 5 year absence, Grammy Winning pianist Bill Charlap makes his second appearance with our True Blue Jazz Festival.

Once again, he arrives in a Trio configuration with nothing less than “Top Tier” jazz artists on Bass and Drums to accompany him. Featured on Drums is a Charlap veteran and staple, Mr. Kenny Washington on Drums. Plus, another fixture on the Charlap jazz landscape (and 2 time True Blue Jazz Festival performer)…Bassist, Mr. David Wong.

Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person.

Born in New York City, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. He is the undeniable product of a home-life dominated by the music industry with his father, Moose Charlap, accomplished Broadway composer whose credits include Peter Pan….and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman and appeared on numerous television Variety Shows.

Bill Charlap is known for his interpretations of American popular song…Time magazine wrote, “Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.”  In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Mr. Charlap is regarded by True Blue Jazz as THE iconic Jazz Artist and interpreter of the American Standards Songbook. The quintessential Jazz Pianist, Artist & Jazz Educator. Along with a vigorous calendar of Club & Concert appearances, Mr. Charlap also currently serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.