Bill Charlap was born in New York City and that is where he begins his current tour at Birdland on January 12th through the 15th and spanning the nation from there hitting both coasts, the midwest and a quick dip into the south (See the tour listing at the end of this article).

Critics have described Charlap's style variously as hard swinging, romantic or rigorous, but his musical roots can be found in a childhood home filled with songs and songwriters. His father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer, known especially for his work on Peter Pan. His mother, Sandy Stewart, is a singer who, forty years ago, had a hit with the Kander and Ebb ballad, "My Coloring Book." House guests often included legendary figures from the great American songbook.

After attending the New York High School of Performing Arts and studying with jazz pianist Jack Reilly, classical pianist Eleanor Hancock, and jazz great (and distant cousin) Dick Hyman, he went on to college-but only temporarily.

"My classical foundation was very important, of course," he now says. "But the conservatory atmosphere was getting in the way of my jazz studies. Pianist Bill Mays and I had struck up a friendship and one day he said, 'Why don't you come up to my place? I've got a Fender Rhodes set up and we can play duo pianos.' After we played he said, 'Listen, I'm going to be leaving Gerry Mulligan's band, I think you're ready to replace me.' I didn't think I was, but I went to Gerry's place and auditioned, and we hit it off very well. Mulligan's famous line was, 'I shot for 42nd Street and ended up on 52nd.' And there is something about that I relate to." Both artists had arrived in Jazz Alley via Broadway song.

Charlap was on his way. He has been influenced, he claims, by every musician he has ever worked with, including the members of his current trio, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (no relation). The list includes such stellar jazz artists as Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Jim Hall, Frank Wess, Grady Tate, Phil Woods and Tony Bennett. But he has also been influenced by his mother's singing ("Her phrasing influences the way I play melody. In many ways I approach the song from a singer's perspective, music and lyrics are of equal importance").

Charlap's influences reflect the seriousness with which he has studied the entire jazz lineage. "I admire the elegance of Tommy Flanagan, the harmonic language and bebop phrasing of Hank Jones, the linear aspects of Lenny Tristano. Then there are Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Jimmy Rowles, Errol Garner, Thelonious Monk, Ellis Larkins, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Roger Kellaway, Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland. People usually think of Bill Evans as a harmonist and romantic, but I'm influenced by Bill the bebop player, the rhythm section player he was when he worked for Miles. But I'm also influenced by non-pianists, like Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Coltrane, Miles, Wayne Shorter and Chet Baker.

Bill Charlap's latest release is "Somewhere" on Bluenote and features the music of Leonard Bernstein including familiar tunes such as "Cool" and "America", as well as more obscure compositions that Bernstein composed over the course of his astonishing career.