Bill Charlap
Background information
Birth name	William Morrison Charlap
Born	(1966-10-15) October 15, 1966 (age 58) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Chiaroscuro, Criss Cross, Blue Note, Double-Time, Venus, Impulse!
Website	www.billcharlap.com

William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap"^[1]) is an American jazz pianist and educator.

Born in New York City,^[2] Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singer Sandy Stewart. Stewart was a regular on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall television series and had a hit recording in 1962 with "My Coloring Book".^[2][3] Charlap is a distant cousin of the jazz pianist Dick Hyman.^[4]

Charlap began playing piano at the age of three.^[2] He studied classical music in addition to jazz.

Early in Chaplap's career, he was a member of with Gerry Mulligan's band, and first recorded with Mulligan in 1989. He has also worked with Benny Carter, Tony Bennett, Phil Woods, Scott Hamilton, Ron Carter, and others. In 1993, he released his first album under his own name, Along With Me. In the mid-1990s, he was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Celebration of Johnny Mercer, part of New York's JVC Jazz Festival.^[5] In 1995, he joined the Phil Woods Quintet.^[3]

In 1997, Charlap first recorded with a trio that included the unrelated musicians Peter Washington (double bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). This trio continued to record and perform live through the 2020s. In addition to the instrumental jazz recordings that he has released, Charlap has frequently recorded with singers. He recorded Love Is Here to Stay (2004) and Something to Remember (2012) with his mother, Sandy Stewart. In 2016, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, an album featuring Charlap and Tony Bennett, won the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. As a backing musician, he has recorded with Carol Sloane, Freddie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, and others.

Charlap appears at least twice a year for engagements at jazz clubs, including the Village Vanguard.^[6] Since 2001, he has recorded as a member of the studio group New York Trio for the Japanese label Venus Records with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart.^[7]

Charlap succeeded Dick Hyman as artistic director of New York City's 92nd Street Y Jazz in July six-program series after Hyman's 20th year in 2004. He and his wife, Canadian jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, released an album of piano duets Double Portrait on Blue Note Records/EMI.^[8]

In 2008, Charlap became part of The Blue Note 7, a septet formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded an album in 2008, Mosaic, which was released in 2009 on Blue Note/EMI, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January to April 2009.^[9] The group plays the music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and his wife Renee Rosnes.

In September 2015, Charlap became the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.^[2]

He married the Canadian jazz pianist Renee Rosnes in New York City on August 25, 2007.^[10] He has two daughters from a previous marriage and one stepson from Rosnes’ previous marriage to Billy Drummond.

The Blue Note 7

• Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records (Blue Note, 2009) – recorded in 2008

Other Blue Note appearances

• Bill Charlap, Elvis Costello, Hank Jones, Joe Lovano, Dianne Reeves, Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (Blue Note, 2007) – compositions of Billy Strayhorn

• Biography at All About Jazz
• Official Website