Written in the Stars

1	In the Still of the Night 7:25
2	Dream 6:44
3	The Man That Got Away 5:25
4	Blue Skies 6:23
5	Where Have You Been? 8:19
6	Where or When 6:33
7	On a Slow Boat to China 3:59
8	One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) 9:38
9	I'll Never Go There Anymore 3:11
10	Lorelei 5:29
11	It Was Written in the Stars 6:36

Barnes & Noble

Old chestnuts or American classics -- whatever you call them, there are certain songs that have become part of our collective unconscious, and these are the songs pianist Bill Charlap interprets on Written in the Stars. From Johnny Mercer and Irving Berlin to Cole Porter to George Gershwin, Charlap taps significant work of the major composers of the great American songbook. Even the less familiar tunes -- including "I'll Never Go There Anymore" by Charlap's father, the late, underrated Broadway composer Moose Charlap -- sound pleasingly like something you've known for years. Charlap's style is all about fleet elegance. He really does tickle those ivories -- rolling chords and deftly dashing off sparkling arpeggios at the ends of phrases. Porter's "In the Still of the Night" responds well to the pianist's light touch, getting the album off to an agreeable start. Peter Washington's fleet-fingered bass lines are smooth as silk, while the non-related Kenny Washington exhibits understated, perfectly phrased drum work. Charlap and his trio can swing -- as they demonstrate on "Where Have You Been," "Lorelei," and their toe tapping, uptempo approach to Johnny Mercer's "Dream." And ballads including "It Was Written in the Stars" and "One for My Baby" sound as if they're being sung from the keyboard. Charlap has accompanied such vocal luminaries as Sheila Jordan and Tony Bennett; here he's taking center stage, proving that a grand piano in the hands of a lyrical player can croon with the best of them. For anyone who loves great songs and great piano playing, this album is a must.-- Will Meyerhofer

All Music Guide

This is the sort of album that gives the mainstream a good name. It's wonderfully recorded, especially at the low end of the spectrum: Peter Washington's bass and Kenny Washington's kick drum speak with authority yet never overwhelm Charlap's piano. The trio's approach is distinctive, marked by tight and fairly elaborate arrangements, thrilling shifts in tempo, and wholly surprising modulations and harmonic choices on Charlap's part. The overall classicism of the group's sound recalls Tommy Flanagan. Charlap is at his most animated on the opener, a brisk reading of Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night." He's more laid-back and deliberate on midtempo tracks like Johnny Mercer's "Dream" and the Gershwins' "Lorelei," where the Washingtons' bone-deep sense of swing really comes to the fore. Another, even more contemplative side of Charlap comes out on an achingly slow "One for My Baby" and a pair of Harold Arlen tunes, "The Man That Got Away" and "It Was Written In the Stars." However, the most comprehensive and bracing showcases of Charlap's talent are Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and Frank Loesser's "Slow Boat to China." Setting up the Berlin tune with the seldom-played introductory verse, Charlap then crafts a contrapuntal head arrangement that recalls early McCoy Tyner. After a round of concise and inventive solos, Charlap restates the melody in the original key of F minor, but then modulates to E minor for the concluding A section. (The pop cliché is to modulate up a half-step, not down.) The trio then vamps on a bluesy G7 tonality before wrapping up with a decorative coda. Analogous surprises also crop up during "Slow Boat to China." Charlap takes the melody at a medium tempo and then moves through a series of shifting chords before launching into a faster tempo for the solos. He plays the tune in B flat, but takes the second half of his final chorus in D -- a seemingly random event. Then he returns to B flat for the first half of the out melody, halves the tempo, and modulates to A major (again, down a half-step) to finish the song. All this is to say that Charlap is an uncommonly imaginative arranger, not to mention a great player. He's also unusually resourceful in terms of repertoire. Arlen, Porter, Gershwin, Mercer, Rodgers and Hart: These are all big-name songwriters, but Charlap astutely picks some of their lesser-known songs. And speaking of lesser-known songs, Charlap also offers a moving tribute to his late father, Broadway composer Moose Charlap, with a solo piano rendition of "I'll Never Go There Anymore." This is perhaps the clearest example of how Charlap invests his material with a genuinely personal touch. David R. Adler