Along with Me

This CD has the recording debut as a leader of pianist Bill Charlap. Already a member of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Charlap would soon join the Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet. A master at swinging veteran standards and casting new light on warhorses, even at this early stage Charlap sounded quite impressive. He is heard in duets with bassist Sean Smith, a trio with bassist Andy Eulau and drummer Ron Vincent, and unaccompanied on "Lonely Town" and "I'll Be Around." Charlap is particularly effective on ballads. The fine recital (which is highlighted by his rendition of his father Moose Charlap's "I Was Telling Her About You," "Gone With the Wind," and an interesting reworking of "Donna Lee") concludes with a nine-minute "Jazzspeak" during which Charlap gives his lifetime story up to 1993. Recommended.