“[Bridgewater] has a technique and musicality that bests most performers of her generation.” – Guardian
“Charlap is masterful… rollicking stride piano, bebop virtuosity and harmonically opulent modernism.” – New York Times
Effortless. Spontaneous. Inimitable. The convergence of two of jazz’s most legendary forces of nature.
Moreover, their virtuosic interpretations traverse the musical spectrum. For example, they draw on the canons of luminary composers: Ellington, Porter, Sondheim, LeGrand, Simon, and others. Here, they range from intimate ballads to soulful grooves, delivered with daring expression born of their musical chemistry.
Each performance is a sublime tour-de-force.
2017 NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater is a restless explorer. Moreover, she has collaborated with master musicians of Mali, interpreted the cabaret of Kurt Weill and embraced the hard bop of Horace Silver. Here, she is joined by Grammy-winning pianist Bill Charlap for these intimate duo performances featuring jazz classics and songbook standards.
Dee Dee Bridgewater first gained recognition in the early 1970s with the great Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Since then, she has thrived wherever she’s landed. On Broadway, she earned a Tony Award for her work in the original production of The Wiz. Then in Paris, she spent more than a decade as France’s greatest champion of jazz.
Pianist Bill Charlap is a consummate soloist and bandleader. Additionally, he is known for work with Tony Bennett, Phil Woods, Barbra Streisand, and his own superb trio. Further, Charlap is one of the most respected keyboardists in jazz and leader of one of its great piano trios. His newest release, Street of Dreams, was released in 2021.
Recommended for fans of Dianne Reeves, Bill Evans, Cassandra Wilson and Benny Green.
