Blue Note Records
2007
Live At The Village Vanguard
About This Album
Some 13 years into his recording career, jazz pianist extraordinaire Bill Charlap's first live album is, perhaps, his most exquisite release to date. While virtually all of his studio albums more than adequately showcase Charlap's virtuosity, good taste, and ceaseless imagination at the keys, it took the spontaneity of the live performance -- at New York's fabled Village Vanguard -- to give the first true indication of just what Charlap is capable of creating on the fly. The pinpoint accuracy and sophistication of his solos, whether at breakneck speed or in a ballad setting, are a marvel. Charlap's concentration never strays, and although he feels no compunction to strut, he lets it be known with each passage that he's among the most gifted pianists in jazz today. There is an economy to his playing even when the notes are rippling out faster than most listeners can probably hear them, and his sense of romanticism never flags. Those hot displays, particularly the seven-and-a-half-minute "My Shining Hour" (one of three Harold Arlen songs performed), "The Lady Is a Tramp," and "Rocker" (a horn-less take on the Gerry Mulligan-penned classic made famous by Miles Davis), serve as perfect showcases not only for Charlap's fleet-fingered acrobatics but for the rhythm section, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, to let loose.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,6 and 8)

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