Cyrus Chestnut • There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit

 

Review by Matt Collar
Cyrus Chestnut's 2016 effort, the superb Natural Essence, benefitted greatly from his pairing with the duo of bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White. Thankfully, the pianist has followed up with another engaging set featuring the same veteran luminaries. An adept virtuoso talent, Chestnut soars alongside Williams and White on 2017's There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit. Elder jazz statesmen, Williams and White have decades of experience under their hats with credits for such legends as Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Woody Shaw, and many others. Similarly, Chestnut has worked with such luminaries as Terence Blanchard, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, and more. While all of his albums are worth checking out, there is something inspired and kinetic about his playing with Williams and White, as if they are all three pushing each other to discover new avenues of expression. Joining them this time on several tracks is yet another volcanic talent in vibraphonist Steve Nelson. Though he only appears on three cuts, his warm harmonic resonance contrasts beautifully with Chestnut's as they dig into an expansive late-'60s jazz sound on two of vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson's best-known compositions, "Little B's Poem" and "The Littlest One of All." Away from Nelson, Chestnut displays his genre-bending skills on "Chopin Prelude," transfiguring the classical piece first with a cubist Thelonious Monk-style intro and later with a swinging Ellingtonian mid-section. Similarly compelling are the group's muscular and exotic take on Miles Davis' "Nardis" and a spritely reading of Williams' "Christina." Elsewhere, they deliver a languid and romantic take on the Stylistics' 1973 classic "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and dive headlong into the pianist's own Latin-infused "CDC." Ultimately, if there's one overriding sentiment that drives all of There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit, it's Chestnut and his band's spirit of soulful camaraderie.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/theres-a-sweet-sweet-spirit-mw0003062378



Artist Biography by Matt Collar
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.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cyrus-chestnut-mn0000148978/biography

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Reseña de Matt Collar
El esfuerzo de Cyrus Chestnut en 2016, el magnífico Natural Essence, se benefició en gran medida de su emparejamiento con el dúo del bajista Buster Williams y el baterista Lenny White. Afortunadamente, el pianista ha seguido con otro conjunto atractivo con las mismas luminarias veteranas. Chestnut, un experto virtuoso, se eleva junto a Williams y White en There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit de 2017. Williams y White, dos veteranos del jazz, cuentan con décadas de experiencia y han trabajado con leyendas como Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey y Woody Shaw, entre otros. Del mismo modo, Chestnut ha trabajado con luminarias como Terence Blanchard, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis y otros. Aunque vale la pena ver todos sus álbumes, hay algo inspirado y cinético en su forma de tocar con Williams y White, como si los tres se empujaran mutuamente a descubrir nuevas vías de expresión. Esta vez se une a ellos en varios temas otro talento volcánico, el vibrafonista Steve Nelson. Aunque sólo aparece en tres cortes, su cálida resonancia armónica contrasta maravillosamente con la de Chestnut cuando se adentran en un expansivo sonido de jazz de finales de los 60 en dos de las composiciones más conocidas del vibrafonista Bobby Hutcherson, "Little B's Poem" y "The Littlest One of All". Lejos de Nelson, Chestnut despliega sus habilidades para mezclar géneros en "Chopin Prelude", transfigurando la pieza clásica primero con una introducción cubista al estilo de Thelonious Monk y más tarde con una sección media al estilo de Ellington. Igualmente convincente es la musculosa y exótica versión de "Nardis" de Miles Davis y la alegre lectura de "Christina" de Williams. Por otra parte, ofrecen una versión lánguida y romántica del clásico de 1973 de los Stylistics "You Make Me Feel Brand New", y se lanzan de cabeza a la "CDC", de inspiración latina, del propio pianista. En última instancia, si hay un sentimiento primordial que impulsa todo There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit, es el espíritu de camaradería conmovedora de Chestnut y su banda.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/theres-a-sweet-sweet-spirit-mw0003062378



Biografía del artista por Matt Collar
Cyrus Chestnut, un experto pianista de jazz, equilibra su ágil destreza técnica con un estilo robusto y conmovedor que habla de sus profundas raíces evangélicas y su amor por el hard bop. Al haber crecido tocando en la iglesia, Chestnut aprendió muy pronto a infundir su estilo de swing, de formación clásica, con un cálido sonido gospel. Fue un estilo que perfeccionó a finales de los 80 y principios de los 90 como músico de acompañamiento, respaldando a los legendarios vocalistas Jon Hendricks y Betty Carter, así como a instrumentistas como Donald Harrison y Wynton Marsalis. Como líder de sus propios grupos, ha colaborado con respetados músicos de la sección rítmica, como Christian McBride, Carl Allen, Clarence Penn, Ron Carter y Lewis Nash, entre otros. A menudo trabajando en trío, como en Natural Essence de 2016 con Buster Williams y Lenny White, o con artistas invitados como en Soul Food de 2001, muestra su habilidad virtuosa y su dominio de la tradición del jazz.

Nacido en Baltimore (Maryland) en 1963, Chestnut empezó a tocar el piano a los tres años y a los cinco ya actuaba en la iglesia baptista Mount Calvary, a la que acudía con sus padres. A los nueve años, ya estudiaba piano clásico en el programa de preparación del Instituto Peabody. Al mismo tiempo, siguió desarrollando sus habilidades para el gospel y el jazz, y en 1981 se matriculó en el Berklee College of Music de Boston, donde obtuvo su título en composición y arreglos de jazz. Allí obtuvo la beca Eubie Blake, la beca Quincy Jones y la beca Oscar Peterson. Después de graduarse, se convirtió en un músico de acompañamiento muy solicitado, trabajando a finales de los años 80 y principios de los 90 con una serie de intérpretes muy conocidos, como Jon Hendricks, Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard y Donald Harrison, entre otros. Sin embargo, fue su temprana asociación con la vocalista Betty Carter, con la que hizo giras y grabó, apareciendo en It's Not About the Melody de 1992, lo que tuvo una influencia duradera en el pianista. Al parecer, Carter animó a Chestnut a ser más individualista, arriesgándose y tratando de sorprenderla.

Como líder, Chestnut se tomó su tiempo para desarrollarse, y debutó en solitario en 1992 con The Nutman Speaks y Nut. Grabados para el sello japonés Alfa Jazz, los álbumes mostraron el trío del pianista con el bajista Christian McBride y el baterista Carl Allen. Un tercer trío con McBride y Allen, Another Direction, siguió en Evidence en 1993. Chestnut firmó entonces con Atlantic y publicó en 1994 Revelation con el bajista Christopher J. Tomas y el batería Clarence Penn. Siguieron varios lanzamientos de Atlantic de gran prestigio, como Earth Stories, de 1995, y Cyrus Chestnut, de 1998, que contó con la participación de Joe Lovano, James Carter y Anita Baker. También durante este período, apareció en Dreamland de la vocalista Madeleine Peyroux, y colaboró en proyectos con otros artistas como Tim Warfield, Kathleen Battle, James Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rodney Whitaker y otros. También debutó como actor, interpretando un personaje basado en Count Basie en la película Kansas City, del director Robert Altman, en 1995.

En el año 2000, Chestnut presentó su primer álbum de temática navideña, Charlie Brown Christmas, que alcanzó el número tres en la lista Billboard Jazz Albums. A continuación, completó su contrato con Atlantic con Soul Food, un álbum original de 2001, que cuenta con la participación de Marcus Printup, James Carter y Gary Bartz, entre otros. A continuación, se trasladó a Warner Bros. para el trío de 2003 You Are My Sunshine, con el bajista Michael Hawkins y el baterista Neal Smith. Luego amplió el mismo grupo a un cuarteto, añadiendo al guitarrista Russell Malone en Genuine Chestnut de 2006. Un año más tarde, aplicó sus habilidades de jazz urbano a la música de Elvis Presley en Cyrus Plays Elvis, seguido por Black Nile, de 2008, con tendencia al jazz modal, en el sello japonés M&I. En 2013, presentó el álbum Soul Brother Cool, con un toque de hard bop, en el que participó el trompetista Freddie Hendrix. A continuación, presentó a su trío en el álbum de conciertos de 2014 Midnight Melodies, grabado en directo en Smoke, en Nueva York. También en 2014, se unió a Jimmy Greene en el conmovedor álbum del saxofonista, nominado al Grammy, Beautiful Life.

Chestnut se trasladó entonces a HighNote, debutando para el sello con el esfuerzo de trío de 2015 A Million Colors in Your Mind, con el bajista David Williams y el baterista Victor Lewis. Para su segundo trabajo en HighNote, Natural Essence de 2016, el pianista se unió a la veterana sección rítmica del bajista Buster Williams y el baterista Lenny White. Williams y White también estuvieron a bordo para There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit de 2017, que también contó con el vibrafonista Steve Nelson. También ese año, se emparejó con Charnett Moffett en Music from Our Soul, del bajista. En 2018, Chestnut regresó con Kaleidoscope, un álbum de trío de influencia clásica con el bajista Eric Wheeler y el baterista Chris Beck. En el álbum se incluyeron reelaboraciones de jazz de composiciones de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie y más.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cyrus-chestnut-mn0000148978/biography

 

cyruschestnut.net ...

Tracklist:
1 - The Littlest One Of All - 4:20
2 - Chopin Prelude - 6:53
3 - Nardis - 7:33
4 - Little B's Poem - 4:50
5 - Christina - 4:51
6 - CDC - 6:23
7 - You Make Me Feel Brand New - 6:07
8 - Easy Living - 8:32
9 - Rhythm-A-Ning - 4:51
10 - There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit - 5:36


Credits:
    Bass – Buster Williams (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9)
    Design – Keiji Obata
    Drums – Lenny White (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9)
    Engineer – Mike Marciano*
    Engineer [Assistant] – Max Ross
    Executive-Producer – Joe Fields
    Liner Notes – Doug Ramsey
    Mixed By, Mastered By – Katsuhiko Naito
    Photography By – Gulnara Khamatova
    Piano, Producer – Cyrus Chestnut
    Vibraphone – Steve Nelson (tracks: 1, 4, 8)
    Vocals – Charlotte Small (tracks: 7), Djoré Nance (tracks: 7), Keesha Gumbs (tracks: 7)


Label: HighNote Records, Inc. ‎– HCD 7304
Released: 2017
Genre: Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/Cyrus-Chestnut-With-Buster-Williams-Lenny-White-Steve-Nelson-Theres-A-Sweet-Sweet-Spirit/release/11024853

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