Pianist Bill Charlap Named Director of Jazz Studies

Bill Charlap, the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, has been appointed director of the Jazz Studies Program. He is the fifth world-renowned musician to lead the program, which was founded in 1973. Charlap succeeds the preeminent pianist Mulgrew Miller, who died in May 2013.

Considered one of the world’s premier jazz pianists, Charlap has performed with many leading artists, including Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, and Tony Bennett, with whom he collaborated on the just-released CD, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. 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.

In 1997, he formed the Bill Charlap Trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, which is now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.

Charlap has received two Grammy Award nominations: for Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard. A Blue Note Records recording artist from 2000 to 2010, 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. Charlap, who now records for Impulse!, is artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at the 92nd Street Y and has produced several concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, with whom he often collaborates in a duo piano setting.

“I am honored to join the distinguished faculty of William Paterson University as director of jazz studies,” says Charlap. “The Jazz Program at William Paterson is recognized throughout the world as one of the finest learning institutions for the evolving professional musician, and I look forward to continuing and expanding on this illustrious legacy. It is my goal to guide the students towards developing a complete command of their instruments and the tools of improvisation, a comprehensive understanding of the music’s history, and ultimately to help them on the road to achieving their own personal vision