Somewhere: Songs of Leonard Bernstein
New York pianist Bill Charlap is comfortable straddling musical fences. He comes from the pianistic legacy ofTommy FlanaganandHank Jones, yet he's comfortable mixing it up with likes ofSteely Dan. Here, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (arguably the best rhythm section happening in jazz today), Charlap explores the Broadway tunes of classical composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. Charlap's piano lines glide over the keyboard with vocal-like fluidity, especially on the finger snapped bounce of "Cool," the Cuban cadences of "America," and the brush-stroked "Glitter to Be Gay." Charlap's reading of "Some Other Time" reveals the harmonic DNA ofBill Evans' "Peace Piece" and "Flamenco Sketches" fromKind of Blue. "Big Stuff" rocks in rhythm with a stridish,Count Basie-type intro, which morphs into anAhmad Jamal-like motif. Charlap's solo performance of "Somewhere" shows that Bernstein was the intersection of the classics, American popular song, and jazz.--Eugene Holley, Jr.