There's a fitting symmetry implicit in Bill Charlap's latest Blue Note release, Stardust, a loving reconsideration of the music of Hoagy Carmichael. It is a symmetry born from purity of purpose, illumined at one end by the timelessness of Carmichael's Americana, then asserted at the other by the clarity of Charlap's touch.

Charlap, possessor of an unimpeachable lyricism first heard on record in 1994, later affirmed on his Blue Note debut, Written In The Stars in 2000, negotiates the music of Hoagy Carmichael as if he's lived it always - an impressive sleight-of-hand, considering the disparate backgrounds from which these jazzmen come: one was inspired by lazy Indiana summers; the other, the fast-break rhythms of New York.

"I didn't know his music as well as I know others," says Charlap, explaining his interest in the great composer. "That was reason enough to do the project, to jump in and learn his melodic language, to uncover the breadth of his musical world. Because Carmichael was not a theater composer, he was of special interest. That made him outside the norm for me."

Not surprisingly, theater has played an important role in shaping the 34-year-old-pianist. His father was composer Moose Charlap, an important contributor to American theater; he wrote much of the music for Broadway's Peter Pan of the '50s. Charlap's mother is singer Sandy Stewart who toured, notably, with Benny Goodman. Music has been coursing through his veins since birth.

Over the years, as Stardust attests, Charlap has emerged a gifted heir to the distinguished pianists who gave definition to jazz's soundscape. One readily hears in him a host of influences, beginning with the stride masters and running up through the modernists; hints of Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan and Jimmy Rowles, echo in his play.

He absorbs songs - indeed, he loves songs - eloquently re-imagining them, and with taste and dignity beyond his years he communicates the redemptive power of music.

As evidence one only needs to visit "The Nearness Of You," in which Charlap's Satie-like opening evokes the Bill Evans of "Some Other Time," leading to a wistful examination of Carmichael's lines set against his own, all enacted as if holding a crystal glass to the light. "The Nearness Of You" is one of Carmichael's best songs. Charlap's appreciation of that fact is conveyed with each note he proffers.

It's that respect and regard for artistry, administered by Charlap and trio mates Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, that surely attracted the renowned artists who guest here. Each has built a career on singular and refined expression.

"One of the most profound musical experiences is playing with people who are better than you," Charlap says of Tony Bennett, Shirley Horn, Jim Hall and Frank Wess - members of a mutual admiration society, to be sure, who graced "I Get Along Without You Very Well," "Stardust," "Two Sleepy People," and "Rockin' Chair," respectively (Wess also graces "Blue Orchids"). "These are not my peers. They are my masters. My vision was expanded by their vision. They don't play false notes. They play themselves."

Finding - and being - oneself is quite obviously central to Charlap's artistic creed; to that end, following his own road to self-realization, he benefited mightily from jazz's apprenticeship system. In the late '80s Charlap was hired by Gerry Mulligan; in the mid-'90s it was Phil Woods.

The group experiences certainly paid off. In light of his own recording and touring activities he spends much of his time in the company of the Washingtons (who are not related). They are a working trio, as evidenced by arrangements and three-way exchanges that can only be achieved through empathetic union. The success of Stardust owes much to their interplay.

In like manner, Stardust owes much to the convergence of spirit between Charlap and Carmichael. By casting a knowing eye on the simplicities of life - rockin' chairs, lazy rivers, and sleepy people - Carmichael arrived at some verities regarding the human condition. That those truths are packaged in tidy art forms we refer to as American songbook standards only underscores their potency.

But it takes the right hands to rouse and inspire, to spin beauty out of melodic threads. That's the role of the interpretive artist, an individual who takes the lead and celebrates what we can be at our best. Enter Bill Charlap. Like the composer he honors on Stardust, he walks with music. Join them. What you hear will steal across the meadows of your heart.

Related Articles
Interview (2002)
Stardust Liner Notes
Concert Review (2000)
Eye & Ear Profile (2000)