The Y stage was decked out more like a party than a concert, with balloons everywhere and Mr. Hyman’s family scattered about, but this opener was a clear sign that the pianist didn’t wanted to celebrate his 80th by receiving a gold watch or resting on his considerable laurels. In fact, the first of his pianist guests to solo, Bill Charlap (who entered with a mouthful of potato chips), seemed to be playing harder and more brilliantly than ever — rather than taking it easy on his longtime mentor, it was as if he wanted to give Mr. Hyman a royal butt-kicking for his birthday.
Wiping the crumbs and grease from his hands, Mr. Charlap dove into a stunning reading of “Where or When” that left one to worry whether the rest of the concert would be able to live up to it. He opened with the bridge and played the first chorus ad lib, drifting into tempo like a ship without a sail, then, joined by bassist Jay Leonhart, essayed the second chorus as a ballad but with absolutely perfect rhythmic assurance. The duo built to a piano-bass exchange that really was “all that and a bag of chips.”
