Looking again and forward a lot to next month's Blue Note release Street of Dreams 'I'll Know' is a Frank Loesser standard from Guys and Dolls that you don't often hear so obviously these days performed certainly by less standards and Great American Songbook centred jazz trios than this one. The latest single to gravitate to ahead of the release and again like 'The Duke' makes its presence felt.
The last version of the song that I can find was two years ago and Wendell H Mills II's far more straightforward solo piano treatment. By contrast the Charlap trio's delicate elegance has an ease and mobility that keeps you listening. Going further back Cedar Walton's with Charlap's drummer Kenny Washington on 2001 High Note release The Promised Land had a different arrangement and was appealingly lively the melody led off by saxist Vincent Herring and joyful soloing from the much missed Walton injecting a lot of individuality to their treatment. The new Charlap treatment is slower, begun by the pianist more chordally and Washington's brush work with a different feel to the jollier swinging Walton sound again very listenable.
Kenny Washington, above left, Bill Charlap, Peter Washington. Photo: publicity shot
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