Tag Archives: Jazz Piano

Two all-time piano greats are visiting Boston this weekend, and I had to see them both. First up, on Halloween night, the most genial of piano virtuosos, Bill Charlap. He was at the RegattaBar in the Charles Hotel, with his sensitive, disciplined trio of David Wong, bass and Dennis Mackrel, drums. Bill is the master of dynamics, of the elegant run, of how to keep a solo interesting. Impeccable classical technique in the service of swing.

Can an acknowledged master like Bill be said to be under-appreciated? I think so, at least by the critics, too many of whom are eager to dismiss him as a purveyor of the dreaded standard repertoire. Yes, he played a Cole Porter tune (“In The Still of the Night”) and a Richard Rodgers tune (a medley of “If I Loved You” and “It Never Entered My Mind”), but his set also included little-heard classics by Tommy Flanagan, Herbie Nichols, Gerry Mulligan, and Jim Hall. His approach to them is entirely original. What his critics miss is that he uses standards only as a springboard for his own wild imagination and scorching pianism. The trio played for 75 minutes; it seemed like 15.