The album is a sparkling set of four-hand piano duets that traverses many of the couple's musical touchstones including the great jazz composers (Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson), Great American Songbook composers (George & Ira Gershwin, Howard Dietz & Arthur Schwartz), and one of Rosnes' own striking original compositions.
The depth of musical experience shared between Charlap and Rosnes is truly staggering.
Charlap is a two-time Grammy Award nominee and the son of two renowned musicians (Broadway composer Moose Charlap and pop singer Sandy Stewart) who has performed with icons such as Tony Bennett, Phil Woods and Gerry Mulligan, and served as the musical director of The Blue Note 7.
The Canadian-born Rosnes is a four-time Juno Award winner who has collaborated with legends the likes of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and J.J. Johnson, and has also been the pianist and contributing composer in the dynamic SFJAZZ Collective.
In a concert review, The New York Times declared Rosnes "a virtuoso," adding that "no rhythmic inflection went unexplored, harmonies within a tune kept changing." TIME magazine wrote that "Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved," adding that "when he sits down to play, the result is an embrace, an act of possession. The tune rises, falls, disappears and resurfaces in new forms as Charlap ranges over the keyboard with nimble, crisply swinging lines, subtly layered textures, dense chords and spiky interjections."
Charlap and Rosnes were married in 2007, and since then have performed frequently in a duo piano setting.
With Double Portrait, says Charlap, "finally, the time came that we were able to record. It's a natural for us, both being admirers of each other's work. The chemistry we have as husband and wife is naturally reflected in our music, and likewise, the chemistry we have as musicians is a part of our life together."
"When twenty fingers are involved," Rosnes adds, "there's a high potential for musical clutter. Bill and I innately seem to search for clarity, and always try to put the music first."
Double Portrait tracklisting:
1. Chorinho (Lyle Mays)
2. Double Rainbow (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
3. Ana Maria (Wayne Shorter)
4. The Saros Cycle (Renee Rosnes)
5. My Man’s Gone Now (George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/DuBose Heyward)
6. Dancing In The Dark (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz)
7. Inner Urge (Joe Henderson)
8. Little Glory (Gerry Mulligan)
9. Never Will I Marry (Frank Loesser)
Buy Music:
Bill Charlap on amazon.com
Renee Rosnes on amazon.com
Renee Rosnes Official Website
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