UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Bill Charlap, a classically trained jazz pianist who has performed with many of the foremost artists of our day, will lead his trio in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium.

Charlap, known for his interpretations of American popular songs, has made recordings featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin. He has performed with jazz notables Wynton Marsalis, Phil Woods and Gerry Mulligan, plus A-list singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand.

“Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved,” wrote a journalist for Time. “No matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.”

In 1997, Charlap (pronounced Shar-lap) formed his trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Today, the Bill Charlap Trio, thrice nominated for a Grammy Award, is lauded as one of the best ensembles in jazz.

After releasing albums on Blue Note Records for a decade, the trio made its debut on the Impulse! Label with 2016’s “Notes from New York.” The DownBeat five-star review of the album called it “a masterclass in class.” Its 2017 follow-up, “Uptown, Downtown,” is Grammy-nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

In 2015, Charlap teamed with Bennett on “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” which earned a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Charlap has been the artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival for 13 seasons. He’s also produced concerts for JVC Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Charlap, who also performs in a duo setting with his wife, pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, is director of jazz studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.

Peter Washington is one of the most recorded bassists in modern jazz. He was a member of Art Blakey’s renowned Jazz Messengers and the Tommy Flanagan Trio before joining Charlap’s band. In 2008, he became part of The Blue Note 7, a septet formed in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records.

Kenny Washington has a discography of hundreds of titles. He has worked with a who’s who of jazz luminaries, including Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Betty Carter, Milt Jackson and Dizzy Gillespie. He’s also a jazz historian and radio personality who teaches at The Juilliard School.

For more information, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online or call 814-863-0255.

Eileen Leibowitz sponsors the Penn State performance.

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