An Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Richard Rodgers

This year marks Bill Charlap’s eighth summer as artistic director of 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July summer festival. One of the world’s premier jazz pianists, Mr. Charlap has performed with many leading artists of our time, ranging from Phil Woods and Tony Bennett to Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis. 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. 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 1997, Mr. Charlap formed the Bill Charlap Trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (no relation), now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. In 2000, he signed with Blue Note Records and has since received two Grammy nominations, for Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and, most recently, The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard. The Trio performs all over the world; their New York engagements include regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and they will return to the Village Vanguard for a two-week run this fall. In 2009, Mr. Charlap was pianist and musical director for The Blue Note 7, an all-star jazz septet celebrating the legacy of Blue Note Records on its 70th anniversary. The septet performed a 50-city tour and released the CD, Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records.

Mr. Charlap’s experience as concert producer extends beyond Jazz in July. 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. He has produced several concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center and an evening of George Gershwin’s music at the Hollywood Bowl.

Born in New York City, Mr. Charlap 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 appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Perry Como shows and earned a Grammy nomination for her recording of “My Coloring Book.” In 2005, Mr. Charlap and Ms. Stewart released the acclaimed CD, Love Is Here to Stay (Blue Note). This past November, they made their eighth appearance together at The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and this past February, they headlined a concert on the 92Y Jazz series.

Mr. Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes. The two artists often collaborate in a duo piano setting. In 2010, Mr. Charlap and Ms. Rosnes released Double Portrait, on the Blue Note label, recorded at 92nd Street Y.

Jazz pianist, composer and vocalist Barbara Carroll made her New York debut at the Downbeat Club opposite Dizzy Gillespie’s big band and appeared on Broadway with her trio in Me and Juliet. In 2002, Ms. Carroll completed a record-breaking 24-year run at the Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel. She then established residence at The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel with her widely popular weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch, which she is now moving to Feinstein’s at the Regency, beginning September 9. She has made more than 30 recordings with jazz luminaries including Art Farmer, Jay Leonhart, Claudio Roditi, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli and Randy Sandke. Her latest CD, How Long Has This Been Going On, was released last year; it was recorded live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola with her trio along with clarinetist Ken Peplowski. Her website is barbaracarrolljazz.com.

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With his breakthrough 2007 debut album Eyes Wide Open, vocalist/composer/arranger Sachal Vasandani established himself as one of the most promising voices in modern jazz. A 2010 Down Beat “Rising Star” poll winner, Mr. Vasandani presented his distinctive blend of jazz and pop in the critically acclaimed 2009 release, We Move, followed by his third Mack Avenue CD, Hi-Fly, another critical hit. Mr. Vasandani was born in Chicago and attended the University of Michigan, where Down Beat named him 1999’s Collegiate Jazz Vocalist of the Year. Now living in New York, he has appeared in clubs and performed and recorded with artists like Wycliffe Gordon, Sean Jones and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. In his international touring, he has appeared with Chris Botti, Joan Osborne, John Hendricks, Sheila Jordon and others. His website is svjazz.com.

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Trumpeter Warren Vaché has appeared at virtually every major jazz venue and festival in the world; he is currently appearing at the Metropolitan Room every Tuesday night with the renowned chanteuse Annie Ross. Among other artists with whom he has performed and recorded are Benny Goodman, Rosemary Clooney, Benny Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Bobby Short, Phil Woods and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A guest artist on countless recordings, Mr. Vaché has recorded more than 35 albums under his own name, the most recent being Warren Vaché: Ballads and Other Cautionary Tales, released last year by Arbors. His other recent CDs include the award-winning 2gether (Nagel-Heyer) with Bill Charlap, My Shining Hour (Nagel-Heyer) and Don’t Look Back with the Scottish Ensemble (Arbors). His website is warrenvache.com.

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Jon Gordon is a winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition, and he has been voted as a Rising Star in the Down Beat Critic’s Poll many times, including the 2010 poll in the categories of saxophone and composition. His last CD, Evolution, was selected as one of the Top 10 Jazz CDs of 2009 by numerous critics and magazines. Down Beat magazine selected his previous CD, Within Worlds, as one of the best jazz CDs of the decade. He has played and/or recorded with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Maria Schneider, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, Red Rodney, John Scofield, Mark Turner, Bill Stewart, Chico Hamilton, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Williams, Ronnie Mathews, Tim Hagans, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, Mel Lewis, Clark Terry, Tony Bennett, Joshua Redman, Eddie Locke and others. His website is jongordonmusic.com.

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Trombonist John Allred comes from a long line of jazz musicians, including his father Bill Allred and his grandfather, who worked on Mississippi river boats. In the late 80s, he was lead trombonist with Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd, and he recently spent four years with Harry Connick, Jr.’s band. He has performed and recorded with such jazz greats as Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Ruby Braff, Slide Hampton, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks. Mr. Allred’s discography includes four CDs with his quartet, most recently Live in Scotland for Apple Jazz Records and two CDs with the Warren Vaché—John Allred Quintet, Top Shelf and Jubilation, for Arbors. Active on Broadway, he played for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and he substitutes in many current shows.

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Jay Leonhart attended the Peabody Conservatory as a child; he became a jazz musician while at the Berklee College of Music, and then became a busy freelance musician in New York. Among Mr. Leonhart’s many associations have been Marian McPartland, Jim Hall, Chuck Wayne, Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and pianist Mike Renzi. From 1975-95, he was named Most Valuable Bassist in the recording industry three times by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. In the 1980s, Mr. Leonhart became known as a lyricist when he began leading his own recording sessions and his songs started to be recorded by other singers. As a leader, Mr. Leonhart has recorded 15 albums for DMP, Sunnyside, Nesak and DRG. He has created a one-man-show of his own songs entitled The Bass Lesson. His website is jayleonhart.com.

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With a career spanning more than 20 years, bassist/composer Sean Smith has performed with such jazz superstars as Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Peggy Lee, Benny Carter, Johnny Griffin, Rosemary Clooney, Clark Terry and Lee Konitz. He was a member of the Jacky Terrasson Trio for four years, and as a sideman, he can be heard on more than 100 recordings. His music has been played and recorded by Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Mark Murphy, Gene Bertoncini and others, and he has been featured on the soundtracks of several films. As a leader, his Sean Smith Quartet has made several recordings featuring his own compositions. Its most recent CD, Trust, was released last spring on Smithereen Records to rave reviews; it was named one of the best jazz albums of 2011 by the Huffington Post. Mr. Smith’s website is seansmithjazz.com.

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One of New York’s most in demand jazz drummers, Tim Horner’s first professional job was with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. Soon after graduating, he moved to New York, where his quintet won the first Hennessey Jazz Search. He has worked with dozens of artists, and he is a long-standing regular substitute with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Mr. Horner made three international tours for the US State Department with the Roseanna Vitro Quartet, and in 2010, he toured Asia with his own ensemble for the State Department and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Last September, he released his first CD as a leader: a disc of his own works entitled The Places We Feel Free on the Miles High Records label. Currently an instructor for New Jersey City University, his website is timhornermusic.com.

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