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2006-05-04
7:30PM
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In 1996, Cyrus Chestnut appeared in a major film, cast as the young Count Basie in the Robert Altman's "Kansas City." The following year, Daniel Berman's "Nutman's Got the Blues," a 15-minute portrait of Chestnut, was released by Rhapsody Films as part of the anthology video 3 Piano Portraits. In addition, Cyrus' organ skills were showcased on the soundtrack of the 1998 remake of the Charles Dickens classic, "Great Expectations." |
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FEATURING:
Cyrus Chestnut - piano
Neil Smith - drums
Michael Hawkins - bass
Joseph Friedman - guitar
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Born in 1963, CYRUS CHESTNUT started his musical career at the age of six, playing piano at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in his hometown of Baltimore. By age nine, he was studying classical music at the Peabody Conservatory. In 1985, Chestnut earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging form Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, Chestnut was awarded the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the Quincy Jones Scholarship, and the Basie Award. He then began working as a sideman with some of the leading players in the music business, including Donald Harrison and Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, George Adams, James Moody, as well as vocalists Jon Hendricks, Joe Williams, and Betty Carter. His association with Carter, which began in 1991, significantly affected his outlook and approach to music, confirming his already iconoclastic instincts. Carter advised him to "take chances" and "play things I've never heard," Chestnut says.
As Chestnut was absorbing experiences as a sideman, he was also developing as a leader, recording and playing live around the world. "There's a Brighter Day Comin'" was his first self-released album, followed by "The Nutman Speaks" (1991), "The Nutman Speaks Again" (1991), "Nut" (1992), and "Another Direction" (1993). The latter two each received the Gold Disk award from Japan's leading jazz publication, Swing Journal.
In 1993 Chestnut signed with Atlantic Records, releasing the critically-acclaimed "Revelation" (1994), followed by "The Dark Before the Dawn" (1995), "Blessed Quietness" (1996), "Earth Stories" (1996), and "Cyrus Chestnut" (1998). In 2000 Chestnut collaborated with Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight, The Manhattan Transfer, and The Boys' Choir of Harlem on "A Charlie Brown Christmas." In 2001 he released "Soul Food," featuring bassist Christian McBride, drummer Lewis Nash, and special guest soloist James Carter, Stefon Harris, Wycliffe Gordon, and Marcus Printup. This acclaimed album was included in Down Beat's list of the best records of 2002 and ascended to the "Top 10" on the jazz charts.
Chestnut has also performed and/or recorded with Kathleen Battle, Freddy Cole, Bette Midler, Jimmy Scott, Isaac Hayes, and Kevin Mahogany. His leadership and prowess as a soloist has also led him to be a first call for the piano chair in many big bands, including the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra.
Chestnut continually tours with his trio, playing at jazz festivals and in concert halls around the world. "I'm trying to bring the spirit of joy to as many places as possible," he says. "This country and this art are founded on the basic principles of freedom, wherby a person is able to think, say, or play what he or she chooses. Throughout the years as I look at history, all of my predecessors, regardless of what their situation was when they arrived on the bandstand, were free to share their thoughts and feelings in a musical way. The did whatever they saw musically fit and the best of them were always about swinging and making people feel good. I try to continue that tradition."
Chestnut makes his Telarc debut with the 2006 release of Genuine Chestnut. The album is a carefully balanced mix of original material with some well known pop melodies from the past several decades-all driven by Chestnut's eclectic yet unmistakable jazz sensibility.
In addition to his regular backup unit of bassist Michael Hawkins and drummer Neal Smith, Chestnut is joined by guitarist Russell Malone and percussionist Steve Kroon. The synergy between the regular trio lineup and the two guest players was a natural fit, says Chestnut. "When you have that caliber of musicianship in the studio, getting comfortable is not a difficult task," he says. "I encouraged everyone to just be themselves. I brought Russell Malone into the studio to be Russell Malone. I brought Steve Kroon into the studio to be Steve Kroon. Likewise, Neal Smith and Michael Hawkins are there to do what they do best."
http://www.cyruschestnut.com/ |
