Mr. Charlap began playing the piano at a very young age. He studied with jazz pianist Jack Reilly and classical pianist Eleanor Hancock and informally picked up pointers from jazz/popular song pianist Dick Hyman, who was a distant cousin on his father's side. Mr. Charlap was fully thrust into the jazz world in the late '80s when he joined baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quintet and in 1994 was enlisted by alto saxophonist Phil Woods for his band. Mr. Charlap was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Celebration of Johnny Mercer as a part of the JVC Jazz Festival in New York and later took the revue on the road.
He started his solo recording career in 1994 and has released several albums. In 1996, he began playing with his fine working trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. The group has recorded four CDs: 1997's All Through the Night on Criss Cross Records and three Blue Note Records albums: 2000's Written in the Stars (a collection of Great American Songbook standards), 2002's Stardust (celebrating the songs of Hoagy Carmichael) and 2004's Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, for which he received a Grammy nomination. Mr. Charlap received the pianist of the year Jazz Award in 2003 from the Jazz Journalists Association and was named outstanding jazz soloist by Manhattan's Night Life Awards in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he and his mother received the top jazz duo Bistro Award for their engagement at the Algonquin in New York.
In 2004, Mr. Charlap and his trio opened Jazz at Lincoln Center's venue Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at the organization's new performance center on Columbus Circle in the Time-Warner Building. He was also enlisted by J@LC to put together a series of concerts honoring great songwriters, including Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Alden, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. In July 2005, Charlap succeeded Dick Hyman as Artistic Director of Jazz In July at the 92nd Street Y's Tisch Center for the Arts.
Bill's two most recent releases for Blue Note Records are Bill Charlap Plays George Gershwin - The American Soul and a cd of ballads in duo with his mother Sandy Stewart titled Love Is Here To Stay.
The Nearness Of You
Bill Charlap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That thrills and delights me, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
The lyrics to Bill Charlap's song The Nearness Of You express the idea that it's not certain specific things that thrill him, but instead simply the nearness of his love. The singer says that it's not the pale moon or sweet conversation that excites him, but just being close to the person he loves. He describes how when they are in each other's arms, all of his wildest dreams come true. Even without soft lights to create a romantic atmosphere, he is enchanted by the simple act of holding his love tight and feeling their closeness in the night.
These lyrics express a sentiment that many people can relate to - the idea that being physically close to someone you love can be more powerful than anything else. The song paints a picture of a couple who are deeply in love, and for whom the simple act of being near each other brings immense joy and happiness. The singer is content to forego all the trappings of romance as long as he can hold his love close and feel their nearness.
Line by Line Meaning
Its not the pale moon that excites me
The singer is not thrilled by the pale moon.
That thrills and delights me, oh no
The singer is not thrilled or delighted by the pale moon.
Its just the nearness of you
The singer is excited by being near the person they love.
It isn't your sweet conversation
The artist is not moved by sweet conversation.
That brings this sensation, oh no
The sensation is not due to sweet conversation.
Its just the nearness of you
The singer is moved by being near the person they love.
When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
The singer feels complete when they hold the person they love in their arms.
All my wildest dreams come true
Being near the person they love fulfills all the artist's wildest dreams.
I need no soft lights to enchant me
The artist does not require soft lights to be enchanted.
If you'll only grant me the right
The artist hopes that the person they love will let them hold them tightly.
To hold you ever so tight
The singer wants to hold the person they love as tightly as possible.
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
The artist wants to feel close to the person they love at all times, especially at night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind