Pianist, composer, and label owner
David Chesky is a sophisticated performer whose music encompasses the worlds of jazz, European classical, and Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Latin traditions. A talented twentysomething when he first debuted his big band in the early '80s,
Chesky has gone on to establish himself as a highly regarded composer and arranger, releasing numerous albums from solo piano dates like 1996's
The Fantasies, to large-ensemble productions like 2007's Grammy-nominated Urban Concertos with
the Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands Opera, to nuanced small group sessions like 2018's Trio in the New Harmonic: Aural Paintings. With 2021's
Songs for a Broken World, he explored a wider orchestral and choral palette.
Chesky's broad tastes are reflected in his work running the independent
Chesky Records, which he co-founded with his brother Norman Chesky. Together they have released albums by
Ron Carter,
Joe Henderson,
Paquito D'Rivera,
Larry Coryell,
Macy Gray,
Babatunde Olatunji, and others.
Born in 1956 in Miami,
Chesky started taking piano lessons at age five and developed an interest in jazz and classical music. Along with listening to pianist
Oscar Peterson and the Buddy Rich Big Band,
Chesky also drew early inspiration from Latin music, Brazilian bossa nova, and show tunes. By the mid-'70s, while still a teenager, he had moved to New York City to pursue his music career. He studied privately there with classical composer
David Del Tredici and pianist John Lewis of the
Modern Jazz Quartet. In 1978, he formed a fusion-oriented big band that included players like saxophonist
Michael Brecker, trumpeter
Randy Brecker, and keyboardist
Bob James.
Chesky and his big band made their debut with 1980's Rush Hour on
Columbia.
Also during this period,
Chesky moved into classical composing; his pieces were performed by the
London Symphony Orchestra,
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and others. By 1987, he and his brother had founded the audiophile-friendly
Chesky Records, concentrating on jazz, European classical, and Latin music. With
David Chesky often working as producer, the label has released albums by a bevy of esteemed performers, including
Phil Woods,
Lee Konitz,
Clark Terry,
Paquito D'Rivera,
McCoy Tyner,
Tom Harrell,
John Pizzarelli, and
Fred Hersch. The label has also focused on vocal jazz and traditional pop, putting out albums by
Peggy Lee,
LaVerne Butler,
Christy Baron, and
Rebecca Pidgeon. In addition, there have been albums by Brazilian artists like
Ana Caram,
Badi Assad,
Leny Andrade, and
Luiz Bonfá.
As a solo artist,
David Chesky also recorded for his own label, beginning with 1989's
Club de Sol and 1990's
The New York Chorinhos, the latter of which was a set of piano/guitar duets with Brazilian guitarist
Romero Lubambo. He reunited with
Lubambo for 1992's
The Tangos and Dances, and followed with such varied recordings as 1996's solo piano date
The Fantasies, 1997's 3 Psalms for String Orchestra, and 1998's Snowbears of Lake Louise.
More works followed in the 2000s, including
The Agnostic, a collaboration with conductor Stephanie Gregory and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus. In 2007,
Chesky worked with the
Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands for Urban Concertos, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. He returned to a similar theme with 2011's David Chesky: Urbanicity; Concerto for Electric Guitar and Orchestra; The New York Variations. Jazz in the New Harmonic arrived in 2013 and found
Chesky leading a quintet featuring
Jeremy Pelt,
Javon Jackson,
Billy Drummond, and
Peter Washington. A follow-up,
Jazz in the New Harmonic: Primal Scream, arrived in 2015. He returned to classical that year with
Joy & Sorrow, featuring the Chelsea Symphony, and again showcased his large-ensemble skills with 2016's
Orchestra of the 21st Century: The Venetian Concertos. A spin-off of his jazz group with
Drummond and
Washington released Trio in the New Harmonic: Aural Paintings in 2018, followed a year later by España, a concerto for two guitars and orchestra. In 2021,
Chesky released another large-ensemble production,
Songs for a Broken World, which featured contributions by
Ute Lemper,
Milan Milisavljević,
J'Nai Bridges, and others. ~ Matt Collar