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MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM
AS SEEN IN: MAY 2010M MUSIC & MUSICIANS
MAGAZINE
Bill Charlap and renee rosnes
are not like most couples. By the time they
married in 2007, each was already a world-
renowned jazz pianist with an impressive
discography and a packed touring itinerary.
The living room of their new Jersey home is
taken up mostly by two grand steinways, and
their piano stools are where they prefer to
spend their leisure hours. They brought that
collaborative impulse into the studio at last
on their new Double Portrait album, which
features stunningly virtuosic four-handed
workouts on a collection of jazz covers and
standards, as well as one rosnes original.
The two had long wanted to record
together, but waited patiently for the stars
to align. “We’d been looking forward to
getting into the studio for quite a while,”
says rosnes. “Between our busy performing
schedules and being parents, it took some
organizing to pull it together.”
after all that, the music itself came
naturally. “We don’t alter our playing styles for
each other,” says Charlap. “We just listen and
react. The result is a new entity comprised of
both our voices.” The couple says that each
track on Double Portrait includes a fair bit of
improvising. “sometimes we bounce ideas
back and forth trading bars, and other times
we take longer individual solos,” explains
rosnes. “There are also moments where we
improvise at the same time, such as on my
piece ‘The saros Cycle.’ We didn’t discuss
the idea; it just happened like that when the
tape was rolling.
“Certainly both of us have distinct styles,
but there is also a lot of common ground that
existed before we ever sat down to play
together. Being married, there is also an
intimate spirit that comes through in the music.”
Charlap, who is the son of cabaret
singer sandy stewart, first met rosnes in
2003 when they were part of a group of
10 pianists touring Japan together. Their
relationship grew over the next few years
and by the time they tied the knot, they’d
already learned how to weave together their
professional and personal lives—they have
three children between them from previous
marriages. now they look forward to further
collaborative efforts.
“playing together is a joy for us,
and the possibilities are so vast with two
pianos,” says Charlap. “We’ve only just
begun to explore our musical partnership.”
–Jeff Tamarkin
BILL CHARLAP AND RENEE ROSNESA pair of virtuoso jazz pianists makes beautiful music together
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19MAY 2010
SPOTLIGHT
M mag 3.indd 19 5/14/10 1:37:06 AM