Bill Charlap Trio Play Hot Parker at Iron Horse
By Chuck Obuchowski (The Hartford Courant)
You can't judge a concert by its set list, as Bill Charlap's trio proved Thursday at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Mass.
The highly regarded jazz pianist had selected several Charlie Parker compositions, a handful of classic pop songs, plus some well-worn jazz standards. The newest piece on the program — Sonny Clark's "Something Special" — was written a half-century ago. On paper, this looked to be a "been there, done that" kind of experience.
Yet, as soon as the three dug into their opening number, "Milestones," written by pianist John Lewis, sonic sparks began flying. Perhaps it was the unusual drummerless format that provided the extra dose of inspiration, or perhaps just the artistic chemistry between guitarist Peter Bernstein and bassist Sean Smith.
Whatever the case, each piece resounded with sunny improvisations that helped blast away the midwinter blues. Charlap's swiftly swinging solo on Parker's "Steeplechase" shook off the evening chill in a hurry. Fellow New York native Bernstein followed with clean, crisp finger work that recalled the sound of Tal Farlow in his prime. Elsewhere, the guitarist demonstrated the harmonic sophistication of his mentor Jim Hall.
Charlap and Bernstein shared a rapport that provided many of the concert's highlights: During "Milestones," they were already trading lines effortlessly. By the time they reached "What Is This Thing Called Love?" a half-hour later, their warp-speed exchange was simply astounding.
In the absence of a drummer, Smith admirably handled the role of timekeeper. However, he also took the spotlight on several occasions, most notably amidst the hard-bop blues of "Something Special," where he and Bernstein enjoyed an extended string dialogue. The bassist recently completed a tour of the Northwest with Charlap, in a trio featuring the pianist's longtime drummer Kenny Washington.
The piano-guitar-bass trio isn't exactly a revolutionary concept; Nat King Cole popularized the concept in Los Angeles during the late 1930s. But it's rarely heard these days, and the novelty of its instrumentation seemed to liberate Charlap, opening him up to different ideas. His cleverly executed reggae riffing toward the end of Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" was a case in point.
For all of his technical expertise, Charlap honored the democratic traditions of jazz by granting his band mates a say in this music's direction. Ultimately, that is what made this such a special event: three talented individuals engaged in enthralling musical conversations, with their audience privy to a kind of living-room intimacy. In their able hands, even "Body and Soul" took a few delightfully unexpected turns.
This rarely heard guitar edition of the Bill Charlap Trio also performs at the Regattabar in Cambridge, Mass., Saturday at 7:30 and 10 p.m. The Regattabar is in the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St. in Cambridge. Informaton: 617-661-5000 or http://www.regattabarjazz.com.
(2/12/2011)
