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

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