Some of you may remember Renee Rosnes as the pianist/leader of the incredible all-women jazz quintet, Artemis, that thrilled a sold-out Lane audience last year. What a creative, technically dazzling and intelligent pianist she is! And Bill Charlap? It has been a dream of ours for a long time to bring this masterful jazz eminence to our stage. So, you can imagine my surprise when I found out that a) they are married and b) they LOVE to perform as a two-piano jazz duo. Yes please! 

Born in New York City into a musical family, Bill Charlap began playing the piano at age three. His father was the musical theater composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include the Broadway production of Peter Pan, and his mother is the Grammy nominated singer, Sandy Stewart. He has performed with many of the leading artists of our time, including: Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan and Tony Bennett. He is known for his interpretations of American popular song. Time magazine wrote, “Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.”

Upon moving to New York from Vancouver, Canada in 1985, Renee Rosnes quickly established a reputation of the highest regard, touring and recording with such masters as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, JJ Johnson, Buster Williams and James Moody. She was the pianist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and a founding member of the all-star ensemble, the SFJAZZ Collective, with whom she toured and recorded for six years. Her already distinguished career continues to reach new levels marked by new music, exciting collaborations, and ever-evolving musicianship. Her latest album, “Crossing Paths” features artfully reimagined quintessential Brazilian songs recorded alongside two of Brazil’s greatest artists and composers, Edu Lobo & Joyce Moreno.