Bill Charlap trio brings its jazz to Fallon

The Churchill Arts Council will present a performance by the critically acclaimed ensemble, the Bill Charlap Trio, on Jan. 28 in the Barkley Theatre at the Oats Park Art Center.

Charlap has garnered critical praise, and developed a loyal following, for his inventive interpretations of tunes from the Great American Songbook including albums devoted to the works of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.

The trio (with bass player Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, who are not related) was formed in 1997 and have since come to be regarded as one of the most distinctive groups in Jazz.

The trio’s been nominated for two Grammys, for both a live album recorded at New York City’s the Village Vanguard and “Somewhere,” the Bernstein album. Last year Charlap’s collaboration with Tony Bennett—“Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern”—received the Grammy for Best Traditional Jazz/Pop Album.

The group’s most recent album is “Notes From New York,” which was recorded right after they completed a two-week run of shows at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in the Jazz at Lincoln Center series. The Guardian newspaper called it a “beautifully articulated” effort by one of the best piano trios ever.

NPR has noted that no one handles the songs of Tin Pan Alley, the backbone of the Great American Song book, with greater care, and Charlap’s empathetic interpretations convey his absolute love of the material. It promises to be one of the highlights of the Churchill Arts Council’s 2016-2017 season of performances.

Charlap will present a free and open-to-the public conversation on his musical influences at 3:00 p.m. on the day of the performance in the Art Bar at the Center. This will be a great chance to interact with one of the greatest pianists working today.

The performance will follow at 8 p.m. Doors and the Art Bar will open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $17 for CAC members and $20 for non-members and can be purchased at Jeff’s Copy Express on Maine Street, at the MWR Office @ NAS Fallon or by calling Churchill Arts at 775-423-1440. There has been quite a bit of interest in this show, so for best availability purchase or reserve your tickets early.

Coming in February will be CAC’s film series and will feature three classic film starring Burt Lancaster. The 1960 film “Elmer Gantry” will screen on February 3 and will be followed by “The Swimmer” from 1968 on February 10. The series will conclude with a showing of “Atlantic City” from 1980 on Feb. 17.

We’ll have more information on the film series in the coming weeks.

Kirk Robertson covers the arts and may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com