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Bill Charlap, internationally acclaimed pianist and director of William Paterson University’s Jazz Studies program, has been nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award for his 2025 album with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. The album, Elemental, is up for the Grammy in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category.
This marks Charlap’s fifth Grammy nomination. He won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his collaboration with the late Tony Bennett, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. He was previously nominated for his recordings with the Bill Charlap Trio: Uptown, Downtown, Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard.
“Playing and recording with the great Dee Dee Bridgewater is a joy and a blessing. It is gratifying to be recognized by your peers and by the industry, but even more important to me is how this nomination brings attention to our community, students, professors and administration at William Paterson,” says Charlap. “I’m deeply proud to be a part of the historic and internationally renowned Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University.”
“We are so proud of Bill Charlap and thrilled to see his artistry recognized once again,” says Wartyna Davis, dean of the University’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Bill’s musicianship is an inspiration and a wonderful reminder of the world-class talent that shapes and enriches our Jazz Studies Program. We are so blessed to have this incredible musician as a part of our University community.”
Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, Gerry Mulligan, Ron Carter, Freddy Cole, and Houston Person. For the past 30 years, the Bill Charlap Trio has been recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
He joined William Paterson University in 2015 as director of its internationally known Jazz Studies Program, now in its 52nd year. As director, he directs several of the program’s 24 small jazz groups, hosts the program’s dialogue days that feature peer and faculty critiques of student performances, and presents numerous concerts, including a recent performance with the WP Jazz Orchestra at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Charlap tours all over the world, and his annual New York engagements include appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard. From 2004 through 2023, he was artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at 92NY. He has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Chicago Symphony Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Among the honorees at 92NY’s 2025 gala, he received Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2024 Award for Artistic Excellence.
