An adept jazz pianist,
Cyrus Chestnut balances his lithe technical skill with a robust, soulful style that speaks to his deep gospel roots and love of swinging hard bop. Having grown up playing in the church,
Chestnut learned early on how to infuse his swinging, classically trained style with a warm gospel sound. It was a style he perfected in the late '80s and early '90s as a sideman, backing legendary vocalists
Jon Hendricks and
Betty Carter, as well as with instrumentalists like
Donald Harrison and
Wynton Marsalis. As a leader of his own groups, he has collaborated with well-respected rhythm section players including
Christian McBride,
Carl Allen,
Clarence Penn,
Ron Carter,
Lewis Nash, and others. Often working in a trio, as on 2016's
Natural Essence with
Buster Williams and
Lenny White, or with guest artists as on 2001's
Soul Food, he displays his virtuosic skill and mastery of the jazz tradition.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1963,
Chestnut first started playing piano at age three, and by age five was already performing at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, which he attended with his parents. By age nine, he was studying classical piano in the prep program at the Peabody Institute. All the while, he continued to develop his gospel and jazz skills, and in 1981 enrolled at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he earned his degree in jazz composition and arranging. While there, he earned the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Quincy Jones Scholarship, and the Oscar Peterson Scholarship. After graduating, he found himself an in-demand sideman, working throughout the late '80s and early '90s with a string of well-known performers including
Jon Hendricks,
Wynton Marsalis,
Terence Blanchard,
Donald Harrison, and others. However, it was his early association with vocalist
Betty Carter, with whom he toured and recorded, appearing on 1992's
It's Not About the Melody, that had a lasting influence on the pianist. Purportedly,
Carter encouraged
Chestnut to push himself to be more individualistic by taking chances and trying to surprise her.
As a leader,
Chestnut took his time to develop, and made his solo debut in 1992 with The Nutman Speaks and Nut. Recorded for Japan's Alfa Jazz label, the albums showcased the pianist's trio with bassist
Christian McBride and drummer
Carl Allen. A third trio effort with
McBride and
Allen, Another Direction, followed on Evidence in 1993.
Chestnut then signed with Atlantic and issued 1994's
Revelation with bassist
Christopher J. Tomas and drummer
Clarence Penn. Several more highly regarded Atlantic releases followed, including 1995's
Earth Stories and 1998's
Cyrus Chestnut, which featured guest spots from
Joe Lovano,
James Carter, and
Anita Baker. Also during this period, he appeared on vocalist
Madeleine Peyroux's
Dreamland, and collaborated on projects with other artists including
Tim Warfield,
Kathleen Battle,
James Carter,
Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Rodney Whitaker, and more. He also made his acting debut, performing as a character based on
Count Basie in director
Robert Altman's 1995 film Kansas City.
In 2000,
Chestnut delivered his first holiday-themed album,
Charlie Brown Christmas, which hit number three on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He then rounded out his Atlantic contract with 2001's all-original
Soul Food, a exuberant set featuring appearances by
Marcus Printup,
James Carter,
Gary Bartz, and others. He then moved to Warner Bros. for 2003's trio effort
You Are My Sunshine, with bassist
Michael Hawkins and drummer Neal Smith. He then expanded the same group to a quartet, adding guitarist
Russell Malone on 2006's Genuine Chestnut. A year later, he applied his urbane jazz chops to the music of
Elvis Presley on
Cyrus Plays Elvis, followed by 2008's modal jazz-leaning Black Nile on Japan's M&I label. In 2013, he delivered the hard bop-infused
Soul Brother Cool, which featured trumpeter
Freddie Hendrix. He then showcased his trio on the 2014 concert album Midnight Melodies, recorded live at Smoke in New York City. Also in 2014, he joined
Jimmy Greene on the saxophonist's poignant, Grammy-nominated album
Beautiful Life.
Chestnut then moved to HighNote, debuting for the label with the 2015 trio effort
A Million Colors in Your Mind, with bassist
David Williams and drummer
Victor Lewis. For his second HighNote effort, 2016's
Natural Essence, the pianist was joined by the veteran rhythm section of bassist
Buster Williams and drummer
Lenny White.
Williams and
White were also on board for 2017's
There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit, which also featured vibraphonist
Steve Nelson. Also that year, he paired with
Charnett Moffett on the bassist's
Music from Our Soul. In 2018,
Chestnut returned with
Kaleidoscope, a classical-influenced trio album featuring bassist
Eric Wheeler and drummer Chris Beck. Included on the album were jazz reworkings of compositions by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Claude Debussy,
Erik Satie, and more. ~ Matt Collar