Great Music, Great View, Great Time
March 16, 17, 18, 2006
Featuring Bill Charlap (piano), Houston Person (tenor saxophone), Ethel Ennis (vocals), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums)
New York, NY -- Jazz at Lincoln Center welcomes back this popular series showcasing the jazz influence on American popular song. Celebrating the music of one of the most successful American songwriters, Vernon Duke -who penned such standards as “April in Paris," “Autumn in New York," and “I Can't Get Started" - longtime favorite pianist Bill Charlap shares the stage with featured guest artists Houston Person (tenor saxophone), Ethel Ennis (vocals), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). Tickets for Great American Songwriters are $40, $75 and $130, and available at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office on Broadway at 60th St., by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500 or via www.jalc.org.
The Allen Room, with its spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, is the perfect place to present this special series, spotlighting the great music that you catch yourself humming. Mr. Charlap has been enjoying a career of snowballing success in recent years. He helped kick off Jazz at Lincoln Center's Grand Opening in October 2004, now he returns to the House of Swing with a band of top-notch musicians including the rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington (no relation), along with the soulful saxophone of Houston Person and the elegant vocals of Ethel Ennis.
Experience America's great music in America's home for jazz, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. Bring a friend or a date and let romance be the theme for the evening. This series promises to be a season highlight. “Vernon Duke is one of the greatest songwriters ever," says Mr. Charlap. “Of course, he's known for his hit songs like 'April In Paris' and 'Autumn In New York', but he also has so many undiscovered treasures and I plan to make those part of this concert."
Mr. Charlap continues “Vernon Duke was born in Russia...his life is a fascinating odyssey where he's written everything from symphonies to ballets. He eventually fled Russia and came to America where George Gershwin took him under his wing and gave him some opportunities. Duke wrote truly American songs. He was a melodic genius. He is cosmopolitan and he embraced the new world."
As for the great band Mr. Charlap will be bringing to The Allen Room, he offers much-deserved praise to vocalist Ethel Ennis, “Ethel is one of the great singers of this music. The audiences will love her work. And with Houston Person on saxophone...he is one of the great song players and he knows how to play with a singer. As for Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, well, there's none better."
Bill Charlap
Bill Charlap (pianist/bandleader) was born in New York City into a musical family. His father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer and songwriter whose credits included the scores of Peter Pan, The Conquering Hero, Whoop-up, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Kelly. His mother, Sandy Stewart, is a popular song singer who performed with Benny Goodman, co-starred on TV's Perry Como Show and scored a Grammy nomination for her hit single, “My Coloring Book" by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb. Mr. Charlap began playing the piano at a very young age. He studied with jazz pianist Jack Reilly and classical pianist Eleanor Hancock and informally picked up pointers from jazz/popular song pianist Dick Hyman, who was a distant cousin on his father's side. Mr. Charlap was fully thrust into the jazz world in the late 80's when he joined baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quintet and in 1994 was enlisted by alto saxophonist Phil Woods for his band. Mr. Charlap was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Celebration of Johnny Mercer as a part of the JVC Jazz Festival in New York and later took the revue on the road. He started his solo recording career in 1994 and has released several albums. In 1996, he began playing with his fine working trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. The group has recorded four CDs: 1997's All Through the Night on Criss Cross Records and three Blue Note Records albums: 2000's Written in the Stars (a collection of Great American Songbook standards), 2002's Stardust (celebrating the songs of Hoagy Carmichael) and 2004's Somewhere (a tribute to the songs of Leonard Bernstein). Mr. Charlap received the pianist of the year Jazz Award in 2003 from the Jazz Journalists Association and was named outstanding jazz soloist by Manhattan's Night Life Awards in 2003 and 2004. Also in 2004, he and his mother received the top jazz duo Bistro Award for their engagement at the Algonquin in New York. Again in 2004, Mr. Charlap and his trio opened Jazz at Lincoln Center's venue Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at the organization's new performance center on Columbus Circle in the Time-Warner Building. Last year Mr. Charlap was named as Creative Director of Jazz In July at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Somewhere - The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental" album. His latest release is Bill Charlap Plays George Gershwin: The American Soul.
Houston Person
Houston Person wears the Boss Tenor crown, worn so long by Gene Ammons. Mr. Person is busy working his own gigs; booking his tours, finding new clubs, having phone numbers for every major concert promoter on every continent. He even produces his own albums. His first big break came while working as a sideman with organist Johnny Hammond and his group, co-led by Etta Jones. Early gigs happened while serving in the Army overseas in Germany, where he played with Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton and others. On Mr. Person's philosophy of jazz, he says, “Well, it's uplifting and important. And a release and a relief. That's what it is, jazz, so called jazz, to me. It's important that it's relaxing. Something that when the end of the day comes, after a hard and frustrating day out in the world, that relieves you. Relaxes you and makes you feel good." Mr Person adds that all he wants is to give people “good solid melodies with some improvisation and plenty of blues feel." He smiles, “You always want that dance feeling there, that happy, happy feeling."
Ethel Ennis
Over the past 50 years, Ethel Ennis has appeared to the public like a reoccurring comet, a bright light in the musical firmament that shines briefly, then disappears until the next cycle. Her 1998 release “If Women Ruled the World" garnered critical acclaim from Down Beat magazine, “Her voice runs deep, exuding the personality of a sage who has lived many lives." Ms. Ennis has performed with an all-star Benny Goodman band in Europe, jammed with Louis Armstrong, sung on national television with Duke Ellington and was the first to perform the National Anthem a cappella at a presidential inauguration. Ella Fitzgerald praised Ms. Ennis as her favorite; Billie Holiday personally encouraged her, Frank Sinatra described her as “my kind of singer", and Joe Williams called her “little sister." She has sung with Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Toots Thielemans, Billy Taylor and Phil Woods. Ms. Ennis has appeared at major music festivals, concert and club venues in every decade since the 1950's.
Kenny Washington
One of the many young hard-bop revivalists to have arrived on the scene in the late 1970's and early 1980's, Kenny Washington has been in demand by much older musicians due to his unique style of playing. He's performed with such jazz legends as Lee Konitz, Betty Carter, Johnny Griffin, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Tommy Flanagan, to name a few. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Washington studied with the former Dizzy Gillespie drummer Rudy Collins and attended New York's LaGuardia High School for Music & Art. He worked with Mr. Konitz while still in his teens and recorded with Mr. Konitz's nonet in 1977. Mr. Washington worked with Ms. Carter from 1978-1979. He worked with Mr. Griffin in 1980. Mr. Washington is a prolific freelancer and has compiled an enormous discography, performing in dozens of sessions by many of jazz's most prominent figures. He has a strong interest in jazz history and has written liner notes for and/or helped prepare classic jazz re-releases by Art Blakey and Count Basie, among others. Mr. Washington has taught at the New School in New York City and worked as an announcer on New Jersey jazz radio station WBGO. Mr. Washington is a longstanding member of the Bill Charlap Trio.
Peter Washington
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Peter Washington began playing bass in junior high school and by the age of fourteen he had already played a season with a community-based symphony orchestra. Throughout his high school years he concentrated on classical music, but also played the electric bass and guitar in rock bands. While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he developed an interest in playing jazz and was soon freelancing in and around the San Francisco Bay area with John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Frank Morgan, Ernie Andrews, Ernestine Anderson and others. In April 1986, while still in college, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and moved to New York. Mr. Washington performed with the Messengers through September 1999, then went on to do freelance work, touring and recording (several hundred CDs at last count) extensively with Benny Golson, the Mingus Dynasty, Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Hank Jones, Toshiko Akiyoshi, David “Fathead" Newman and more. As a long standing member of the Tommy Flanagan Trio, he was joined with Lewis Nash in one of the stellar jazz trios of the 1990's. In the late 1990's, he joined the Bill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington to once again play in one of the most highly regarded trios of the recent past.
March 16, 17, 18, 2006
Featuring Bill Charlap (piano), Houston Person (tenor saxophone), Ethel Ennis (vocals), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums)
New York, NY -- Jazz at Lincoln Center welcomes back this popular series showcasing the jazz influence on American popular song. Celebrating the music of one of the most successful American songwriters, Vernon Duke -who penned such standards as “April in Paris," “Autumn in New York," and “I Can't Get Started" - longtime favorite pianist Bill Charlap shares the stage with featured guest artists Houston Person (tenor saxophone), Ethel Ennis (vocals), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). Tickets for Great American Songwriters are $40, $75 and $130, and available at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office on Broadway at 60th St., by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500 or via www.jalc.org.
The Allen Room, with its spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, is the perfect place to present this special series, spotlighting the great music that you catch yourself humming. Mr. Charlap has been enjoying a career of snowballing success in recent years. He helped kick off Jazz at Lincoln Center's Grand Opening in October 2004, now he returns to the House of Swing with a band of top-notch musicians including the rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington (no relation), along with the soulful saxophone of Houston Person and the elegant vocals of Ethel Ennis.
Experience America's great music in America's home for jazz, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. Bring a friend or a date and let romance be the theme for the evening. This series promises to be a season highlight. “Vernon Duke is one of the greatest songwriters ever," says Mr. Charlap. “Of course, he's known for his hit songs like 'April In Paris' and 'Autumn In New York', but he also has so many undiscovered treasures and I plan to make those part of this concert."
Mr. Charlap continues “Vernon Duke was born in Russia...his life is a fascinating odyssey where he's written everything from symphonies to ballets. He eventually fled Russia and came to America where George Gershwin took him under his wing and gave him some opportunities. Duke wrote truly American songs. He was a melodic genius. He is cosmopolitan and he embraced the new world."
As for the great band Mr. Charlap will be bringing to The Allen Room, he offers much-deserved praise to vocalist Ethel Ennis, “Ethel is one of the great singers of this music. The audiences will love her work. And with Houston Person on saxophone...he is one of the great song players and he knows how to play with a singer. As for Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, well, there's none better."
Bill Charlap
Bill Charlap (pianist/bandleader) was born in New York City into a musical family. His father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer and songwriter whose credits included the scores of Peter Pan, The Conquering Hero, Whoop-up, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Kelly. His mother, Sandy Stewart, is a popular song singer who performed with Benny Goodman, co-starred on TV's Perry Como Show and scored a Grammy nomination for her hit single, “My Coloring Book" by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb. Mr. Charlap began playing the piano at a very young age. He studied with jazz pianist Jack Reilly and classical pianist Eleanor Hancock and informally picked up pointers from jazz/popular song pianist Dick Hyman, who was a distant cousin on his father's side. Mr. Charlap was fully thrust into the jazz world in the late 80's when he joined baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quintet and in 1994 was enlisted by alto saxophonist Phil Woods for his band. Mr. Charlap was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Celebration of Johnny Mercer as a part of the JVC Jazz Festival in New York and later took the revue on the road. He started his solo recording career in 1994 and has released several albums. In 1996, he began playing with his fine working trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. The group has recorded four CDs: 1997's All Through the Night on Criss Cross Records and three Blue Note Records albums: 2000's Written in the Stars (a collection of Great American Songbook standards), 2002's Stardust (celebrating the songs of Hoagy Carmichael) and 2004's Somewhere (a tribute to the songs of Leonard Bernstein). Mr. Charlap received the pianist of the year Jazz Award in 2003 from the Jazz Journalists Association and was named outstanding jazz soloist by Manhattan's Night Life Awards in 2003 and 2004. Also in 2004, he and his mother received the top jazz duo Bistro Award for their engagement at the Algonquin in New York. Again in 2004, Mr. Charlap and his trio opened Jazz at Lincoln Center's venue Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at the organization's new performance center on Columbus Circle in the Time-Warner Building. Last year Mr. Charlap was named as Creative Director of Jazz In July at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Somewhere - The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental" album. His latest release is Bill Charlap Plays George Gershwin: The American Soul.
Houston Person
Houston Person wears the Boss Tenor crown, worn so long by Gene Ammons. Mr. Person is busy working his own gigs; booking his tours, finding new clubs, having phone numbers for every major concert promoter on every continent. He even produces his own albums. His first big break came while working as a sideman with organist Johnny Hammond and his group, co-led by Etta Jones. Early gigs happened while serving in the Army overseas in Germany, where he played with Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton and others. On Mr. Person's philosophy of jazz, he says, “Well, it's uplifting and important. And a release and a relief. That's what it is, jazz, so called jazz, to me. It's important that it's relaxing. Something that when the end of the day comes, after a hard and frustrating day out in the world, that relieves you. Relaxes you and makes you feel good." Mr Person adds that all he wants is to give people “good solid melodies with some improvisation and plenty of blues feel." He smiles, “You always want that dance feeling there, that happy, happy feeling."
Ethel Ennis
Over the past 50 years, Ethel Ennis has appeared to the public like a reoccurring comet, a bright light in the musical firmament that shines briefly, then disappears until the next cycle. Her 1998 release “If Women Ruled the World" garnered critical acclaim from Down Beat magazine, “Her voice runs deep, exuding the personality of a sage who has lived many lives." Ms. Ennis has performed with an all-star Benny Goodman band in Europe, jammed with Louis Armstrong, sung on national television with Duke Ellington and was the first to perform the National Anthem a cappella at a presidential inauguration. Ella Fitzgerald praised Ms. Ennis as her favorite; Billie Holiday personally encouraged her, Frank Sinatra described her as “my kind of singer", and Joe Williams called her “little sister." She has sung with Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Toots Thielemans, Billy Taylor and Phil Woods. Ms. Ennis has appeared at major music festivals, concert and club venues in every decade since the 1950's.
Kenny Washington
One of the many young hard-bop revivalists to have arrived on the scene in the late 1970's and early 1980's, Kenny Washington has been in demand by much older musicians due to his unique style of playing. He's performed with such jazz legends as Lee Konitz, Betty Carter, Johnny Griffin, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Tommy Flanagan, to name a few. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Washington studied with the former Dizzy Gillespie drummer Rudy Collins and attended New York's LaGuardia High School for Music & Art. He worked with Mr. Konitz while still in his teens and recorded with Mr. Konitz's nonet in 1977. Mr. Washington worked with Ms. Carter from 1978-1979. He worked with Mr. Griffin in 1980. Mr. Washington is a prolific freelancer and has compiled an enormous discography, performing in dozens of sessions by many of jazz's most prominent figures. He has a strong interest in jazz history and has written liner notes for and/or helped prepare classic jazz re-releases by Art Blakey and Count Basie, among others. Mr. Washington has taught at the New School in New York City and worked as an announcer on New Jersey jazz radio station WBGO. Mr. Washington is a longstanding member of the Bill Charlap Trio.
Peter Washington
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Peter Washington began playing bass in junior high school and by the age of fourteen he had already played a season with a community-based symphony orchestra. Throughout his high school years he concentrated on classical music, but also played the electric bass and guitar in rock bands. While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he developed an interest in playing jazz and was soon freelancing in and around the San Francisco Bay area with John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Frank Morgan, Ernie Andrews, Ernestine Anderson and others. In April 1986, while still in college, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and moved to New York. Mr. Washington performed with the Messengers through September 1999, then went on to do freelance work, touring and recording (several hundred CDs at last count) extensively with Benny Golson, the Mingus Dynasty, Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Hank Jones, Toshiko Akiyoshi, David “Fathead" Newman and more. As a long standing member of the Tommy Flanagan Trio, he was joined with Lewis Nash in one of the stellar jazz trios of the 1990's. In the late 1990's, he joined the Bill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington to once again play in one of the most highly regarded trios of the recent past.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz. With the world-renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, a jazz appreciation curriculum for children, advanced training through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, music publishing, children's concerts, lectures, adult education courses and student and educator workshops. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Chairman of the Board Lisa Schiff, President & CEO Derek E. Gordon, Executive Director Katherine E. Brown and Jazz at Lincoln Center board and staff, Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce hundreds of events during its 2005-06 season. In October 2004, Jazz at Lincoln Center opened Frederick P. Rose Hall - the first-ever performance, education and broadcast facility devoted to jazz.
Dates/Times: Thursday-Saturday, March 16, 17, 18, 2006 at 7:30pm
Location: The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on Broadway at 60th Street.
Tickets: $40, $75, $130
Available at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall box office on Broadway at 60th Street / open Monday - Saturday, 10am-8:30pm and Sunday 11am-8:30pm, CenterCharge at 212-721.6500 or
For more information contact All About Jazz.
