26 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • DECEMBER 23, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Grammy award-nominated Bill Charlap Trio coming to Flushing Town Hall
BY BENEDETTA TOMMASELLI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
The Grammy award-nominated
Bill Charlap Trio, one of the leading
ensembles in jazz, will be performing
JCAL to celebrate 50th anniversary with special exhibition by local artist
BY BENEDETTA TOMMASELLI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Next year, the Jamaica Center for Arts
& Learning (JCAL) will begin commemorating
its 50th anniversary with an art
exhibition accompanied by Jamaica native
and legendary artist Danny Simmons.
Th e exhibition, called “Early Days and
Latter Days,” will open with a reception
on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, and will
remain on view through Saturday, June
18. It will feature both of JCAL’s galleries
and feature works from the beginning
of Simmons’ career, as well as new works
created specifi cally for his yearlong residency
at JCAL.
“Early Days & Latter Days” not only
marks Simmons’ return to Jamaica, but
just one of several capstones to JCAL’s
remarkable 50 years of service to southeast
Queens.
“Jamaica, Queens, is deeply embedded
in my DNA. To be coming home with a
retrospective exhibition and an exhibition
of completely new work is a grand high
honor. To be recognized at the 50th anniversary
of JCAL is a fantastic benchmark
for my career in the arts, a very special
honor which I’m truly grateful to receive,”
Simmons said.
While he’s a legendary artist, Simmons
is also a leader in the art world with his
philanthropic ventures, artistic talents and
drive. He has also co-produced the hit
HBO show “Def Poetry Jam” and won a
Tony award for the Broadway version of
the show.
Simmons inaugurated his residency
at JCAL back in October 2021 with
“Homecoming,” a spoken-word-and-jazz
concert that welcomed legendary bassist
Ron Carter and a lineup of acclaimed
poets to the stage.
In the spring of 2022, Simmons will participate
in two public artist talks to share
his life process and journey as a renowned
multidisciplinary artist and performer.
“Simmons truly embodies living an
artist’s life in 360 degrees — with all
the struggles, inspirations and determination
it requires. Danny’s fi rst artwork
was indeed shown at what was once called
Jamaica Arts Center, and we’re honored
to welcome him back,” said Courtney
Ffrench, JCAL artistic director.
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is
known to be a multidisciplinary arts center
based in the diverse community of
southeast Queens. First founded in 1972,
the center is devoted to off ering quality
visual, performing and literary arts, and to
providing accessible education programs
to encourage participation in the arts.
at Flushing Town Hall on Friday,
Jan. 14.
Th e Bill Charlap Trio, which
will celebrate its 25th
anniversary in 2022,
earned Grammy nominations
for “Uptown
Downtown” (Impulse!/
Verve), “Somewhere:
Th e Songs of Leonard
Bernstein” and “Th e
Bill Charlap Trio:
Live at the Village
Vanguard” (both on
the Blue Note label).
The trio’s most
recent recording features
them with Tony
Bennett and Diana
Krall on the charttopping,
Grammynominated
“Love is
Here to Stay.”
Th e group was formed in 1997, composed
by Grammy-winning pianist and
founder of the group, Bill Charlap; bassist
Peter Washington; and drummer Kenny
Washington.
Charlap, born in New York City,
began playing the piano at age 3.
Charlap has performed
with many of the
leading artists of
our time, ranging
from Phil Woods,
Gerry Mulligan,
Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and
Houston Person to singers Tony Bennett
and Barbra Streisand. He is known for
his interpretations of American popular
songs and has recorded albums featuring
the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard
Bernstein and George Gershwin.
“Modest and low-key off the bandstand,
at the piano he is voluble
and intense … the pianist moved
through an erudite selection of
jazz and American Songbook
standards … with masterful technique
and a stylistic range that
encompassed rollicking
stride piano, bebop virtuosity
and harmonically
opulent modernism,”
Th e New York Times
said about Charlap.
Wa s h i n g t o n ,
born in Los
Angeles, is one of
the most in demand and recorded bassists
in modern jazz, with a discography
of over 400 recordings. During his
time at U.C. Berkeley, he was invited by
Art Blakey to join the Jazz Messengers
in New York. From there, Washington
became part of two of jazz’s most celebrated
trios: the Tommy Flanagan Trio,
and for the past 13 years, the Bill
Charlap Trio.
Kenny, born in Brooklyn, has been a
member of the Bill Charlap Trio for the
past 13 years and has performed and
recorded with dozens of major artists,
giving him a discography of hundreds of
titles. Washington is a noted jazz historian
and radio personality; he has written
liner notes and helped prepare re-releases
by Art Blakey, Count Basie and others,
and has also been a disc jockey on WBGO
and Sirius satellite jazz radio.
Th e trio’s performance at the Flushing
Hall will include some of their songs from
their latest album, “Street of Dreams,”
which was released in November.
Th e performance tickets will be available
both in person (following the
COVID-19 policy) for $25/$20 per member,
and virtually for free on the Flushing
Town Hall livestream.
Photo courtesy of Flushing
Town Hall
The multiple
Grammy Awardnominated
Bill
Charlap Trio
Photo courtesy of JCAL
Jamaica native and legendary artist Danny Simmons
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