Jazz Studies Director Bill Charlap Wins Grammy Award

Bill Charlap, the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist and new director of the Jazz Studies Program, won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal album for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, a collaboration with Tony Bennett. The awards were presented on February 15 during a live telecast on CBS.

This was Charlap’s third Grammy nomination and first win. He was previously nominated for his recordings Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard.

Charlap, who joined the University last September, is considered one of the world’s premier jazz pianists. He is known for his interpretations of American popular songs and in addition to this latest collaboration with Tony Bennett, has recorded albums featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein, and George Gershwin. His trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington is recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.