Phar Lap is an Australian race horse that died mysteriously in Menlo Park in April 1932.
Charlap is a jazz musician who plays piano is based in New York and maybe appearing in Palo Alto, in April 2020. He is likely playing Yoshi’s in Oakland the day before or day after. I met Bill when he and my client Henry Butler appeared on the Billy Taylor Holiday radio show, taped for a live audience at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Pianist Bill Charlap (seen with his collaborator Tony Bennett, the Italian Stalion)

Not to be morbid but the jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi died shortly after completing a set in Menlo Park, about 40 years ago.

I had heard the name Phar Lap but did not know that it was a horse. The name is derived for the Thai word for “lightning”. In Andy Dolich’s class last week we had two men who make their living at the horse tracks.

The list of piano players who tickled the keys of the Palo Alto (chinese made) Baldwin at The Mitch include:

Mitch Woods
Motoko Honda
Marco Diaz
Melecio Magdalayo
Javier Santiago
The bassist for the Molly Tuttle band
(Wil Blades played organ at Art Center)
(A member of Beth Custer’s group played the piano at Art Center)
Andy Langham

Friday next we have a pianist sidepeson named Allison Lovejoy.
December 20 supporting Elvin Bishop Mitch Woods returns.
I have a confirmed date in January with pianist Marta Sanchez, on a co-bill with the duo of (John Santos sidemen) Marco Dias and Melecio.