The New York Trio, led by pianist Bill Charlap with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart, exists exclusively as a band to record for the Japanese jazz market, as Charlap has a regular trio with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, while both Leonhart and Stewart are busy session musicians who occasionally also lead their own record dates.
These 2007 sessions focus exclusively on the extensive songbook of the prolific Irving Berlin.
Most of the ten tunes heard on this CD have long since become standards and are frequently recorded by jazz artists.
One that isn't typically heard as an instrumental is "I Got the Sun in the Morning" (from the musical Annie Get Your Gun), heard in a loping yet infectious interpretation.
"How Deep Is the Ocean" is one of Berlin's most recorded songs, yet this version sizzles with energy, unlike the typical ballad treatments.
Other highlights include the breezy, joyful setting of "Cheek to Cheek," with Stewart's whispering brushes propelling Charlap's buoyant piano, along with the bittersweet "What'll I Do," featuring Leonhart's intimate solo.
Even though this isn't a working band, things seem to gel quickly for the New York Trio when the group assembles to record.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AlwaysIrving Berlin | New York Trio | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | They Say It's WonderfulIrving Berlin | New York Trio | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | I Got the Sun in the MorningIrving Berlin | New York Trio | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 4 | How Deep Is the OceanIrving Berlin | New York Trio | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | The Song Is EndedIrving Berlin | New York Trio | Play | 06:56 | 15 MB | 46 MB |
| 6 | Gheek To Cheek | New York Trio | Play | 05:46 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 7 | Isn't This A Lovely Days | New York Trio | Play | 05:44 | 13 MB | 35 MB |
| 37 mins | 85 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 238 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Todd Barkan | Producer |
| 2 | Irving Berlin | Composer |
| 3 | Tetsuo Hara | Mastering, Mixing, Producer |
| 4 | Shuji Kitamura | Mastering, Mixing |
| 5 | Jay Leonhart | Bass |
| 6 | Katherine Miller | Engineer |
| 7 | New York Trio | Primary Artist |
| 8 | H. Armstrong Roberts | Cover Photo |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |