Formed in 2001, the New York Trio – also known as the New York Jazz Trio – is a studio-only jazz group founded by pianist Bill Charlap, drummer Bill Stewart, and bassist Jay Leonhart. Combined, the three musicians have worked with a wide array of artists including the Phil Woods Quintet, Tony Bennett, Lee Konitz, Benny Carter, Marian McPartland, James Brown, Gerry Mulligan, Maceo Parker, Louie Bellson, and many others. At the behest of Japanese jazz label Venus Records, the trio came together and recorded Blues in the Night (2001), a collection of laid-back versions of jazz classics. The album was well-received and was followed by The Things We Did Last Summer (2002), Love You Madly (2003), Stairway to the Stars (2005), Begin the Beguine (2006), Thou Swell (2007), Always (2008), and Stardust (2009), which found the trio joined by clarinetist / saxophonist Ken Peplowski. The group’s final release was the compilation Essential Best, which was issued in 2009.
