Britt Bardman
Staff Writer
The Bill Charlap Trio- the next artists on UW Present’s season lineup- are set to perform at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) concert hall.
“I work a lot with the jazz studies director on picking an artist- this is his dream pianist- and in the world of jazz he’s pretty legendary. This name has been on the dream list, and it worked out,” said Director of UW Presents Phil Moline.
Charlap is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist from New York, New York. He began playing the piano at age three, and has since performed with many leading artists of our time, including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis and Barbara Streisand. Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, and the two often collaborate in a duo piano setting. In the spring of 2010, Charlap and Rosnes released “Double Portrait,” their acclaimed duo piano recording on the Blue Note label.
Charlap formed his trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington in 1997, and is now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
The Bill Charlap Trio is also headlining the UW Jazz Festival from March 11-12. Moline and the Director of Jazz Studies Benjamin Markley work on bringing an artist to both events each year, since the founding of UW Presents some 30 years ago.
“We partnered with UW Presents with the idea of bringing in an artist that would serve as our festival’s headliner but also a part of the UW Presents concert,” said Markley.
Moline’s UW Presents series is geared towards capturing a wide audience. For him, bringing in musicians and performers who are well practiced and typically play traditional music, and who can also connect to college students and a modern audience is where he finds success in building the series, he said.
“Each one of these musicians has such a deep historical connection to the music. They have found a way to play music from tradition, but play it in a way that is really meaningful to modern audiences,” said Moline.
It may be a unique opportunity for UW students and the community at large to see some amazing performances and have them be easily accessible.
“I would not be surprised to see many college students come and walk away saying ‘this is one of the best performances I’ve heard in my life’. The music is really that meaningful,” said Markley. “Everybody at our stage in this time of year, with what’s going on, with the news… we need something good and meaningful in our lives! Come Thursday night- check it out, thank me later.”
Two artists remain in the UW Presents lineup after today’s performance. Korean guitarist JIJI is scheduled to showcase her wide range of acoustic and electric guitar ability on March 27, playing a wide range of music from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation.
Zakir Hussain, appreciated in the field of percussion and the music world at large, will finish out the series on April 4 with contemporary world music marked by intuition and a unique ability to improvise.
“My last show of the year is the biggest name on the series this year, he was credited with creating the world music industry, so the fact that he’s coming to little Laramie is amazing. That’s what I’m most excited for,” said Moline.
UW Presents brings music, theatre and dance experiences to campus in an effort to educate students with performances by artists of national and international distinction.
