How many ways are there to play “I Got Rhythm”? At the opening night concert of Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, Bill Charlap and Ted Rosenthal offered at least seven: (1) chromatically syncopated, in the spirit of one of the composer’s own official “variations”; (2) swinging like it’s 1939; (3) waltz time, but with lingering chromaticisms; (4) rollicking a la Erroll Garner; (5) Gerry Mulligan-esque, complete with a quote from “Line for Lyons”; (6) slow and stately, like a love song; (7) ultra-rhythmic, all 20 digits digging into the melody. This two-piano duo was also notable for what the two men did not play: They left out the verse and they left out all the familiar heads on the “Rhythm” changes, and played only Gershwin’s actual melody.

Tuesday night was the first of Bill Charlap’s tenure as the artistic director of the annual series. The program was a huge success during the last 20 years with founder Dick Hyman at the helm, so this performance had the feeling of real debut. Mr. Charlap has built on Mr. Hyman’s foundation, but he’s not merely parroting what has already been done. There’s more modern elements this year – a program of Horace Silver and Kenny Dorham, for instance, when in previous years you were likely to hear Jelly Roll Morton and Bix Beiderbecke. Mr. Charlap is revitalizing a series that, until now, no one knew needed revitalization.

Mr. Charlap played with his regular trio of Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums, who will serve as the house rhythm section for the whole series. Mr. Charlap began and ended Tuesday’s all-Gershwin evening with trio and septet arrangements from his new all-Gershwin album, “The American Soul” (Blue Note 60669). Not once in the program, however, did he plug the album – a classy move.

The set began with a fast “Who Cares” and finished the first segment with a danceable “Liza.” The standout came in between: “How Long Has This Been Going On?” started with rubato verse, then a very fresh treatment of the melody and 32 bars of improv. For his next chorus, Kenny Washington laid down an odd-meter backbeat, and Mr. Charlap played the funkiest treatment of “How Long” I have ever heard, sounding like Ray Charles in church.

Mr. Charlap then did a segment with his mother, the very talented Sandy Stewart. This fit in with Mr. Hyman’s long-standing tradition of employing theatrical and cabaret singers. They gave us the two Gershwin numbers from their new CD, again unplugged, the title number, “Love Is Here To Stay” (Blue Note 60340) and “I’ve Got a Crush on You.” Ms. Stewart was even more effective on Gershwin’s more obscure “For You, For Me, Forever More,” starting with a verse I haven’t heard since Ella Fitzgerald.

The evening’s other jazz pianist, Mr. Rosenthal, played a startling arrangement of “Love Walked In” that had a Middle Eastern tonality. I first assumed he was playing in a conventional minor or pentatonic mode, but he later explained he was employing a Spanish Phrygian mode with a flatted two and a raised third (that should set tle a few barroom arguments).

Concert pianist Eleanor Bindman opened the second half with yet another variation on “I Got Rhythm,” this time arranged as a classical etude by Earl Wilde. Ms. Bindman and Mr. Rosenthal then gave us fourhanded versions of the three Gershwin preludes. The short third prelude, with its distinct bridge, sounded especially song like; I’m surprised Ira Gershwin never wrote lyrics to it.

Mr. Charlap finished with his four horn arrangements from the album, but with a completely different lineup: Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Jim Pugh on trombone, Houston Person on tenor saxophone, and Jon Gordon on alto saxophone. “A Foggy Day” had a very appealing reiteration of the melody, reminiscent of 1950s West Coast arrangers when they were in a Basie bag. And everybody took a long solo.

Mr. Gordon shined on “Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” sounding like Johnny Hodges with a bop edge – which is another way of saying Lou Donaldson. He and Mr. Pelt took center stage in “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and even though Mr. Pelt flubbed the ending to his solo (that’s jazz, baby!), their exchange of phrases went down nicely.

***

On Wednesday, five star pianists gathered in a program called “Continuum,” again with the Washingtons serving as rhythm section. The younger players (all under 50 – though Mulgrew Miller hits that mark next month) dominated in the first half and the veterans took over after the break.

No one’s better at playing fast and bluesy hard bop classics than Mr. Miller, and he launched the second night with a bang with Duke Jordan’s “Jordu.” Mr. Miller and Renee Rosnes then played a thoughtful duet treatment of “Con Alma,” which made everybody think of Ray Bryant, who introduced the tune with composer Dizzy Gillespie.

Hank Jones and Mr. Bryant starred in the second half. Mr. Charlap told me that he regards Mr. Jones, who turns 87 next week, as the leading pianist in the jazz world. The way he played on Wednesday would give no one cause to disagree.

Looking for variety, Mr. Jones was in the mood for exotic melodies by 1960s saxophone giants: Joe Henderson’s Brazilian-styled “Recordame” and Oliver Nelson’s “Six and Four,” and he is one of the few musicians who can make 6/4 actually sound appreciably different from 3/4. Mr. Bryant played his trademark, gloriously expressive soulful blues (“Slow Freight”), as well as a new “Lullaby” that suggested one of Dave Brubeck’s classical/Asian pieces. He also was in the mood for Basie (“Broadway”) and Ellington (“A Train” in a duet with Mr. Jones).

The second evening ended with all four guests – 80 fingers, folks – banging uproariously away on “C-Jam Blues.” Nice work indeed.