| Cyrus Chestnut | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Birth Date: | 17 January 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genre: | Jazz, blues |
| Occupation: | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instrument: | Piano |
| Years Active: | 1992–present |
| Label: | Alfa, Evidence, Atlantic, Warner Bros., Telarc, WJ3 |
Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for Time, wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space."[1]
Cyrus Chestnut was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1963, the son of McDonald (a retired post-office employee and church pianist) and Flossie (a city social services worker and church choir director).[2] Chestnut began learning the piano at the age of seven, and in his boyhood played at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. By the age of nine,[3] he was studying classical music at the Peabody Institute. In 1985, Chestnut earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging from Boston's Berklee College of Music.[4]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chestnut worked with Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, and other bandleaders. He joined the band of jazz vocalist Betty Carter in the early 1990s and appeared on her 1992 album It's Not About the Melody. That same year, he recorded his first albums as a bandleader, The Nutman Speaks and Nut. Chesnut has continued to work and record as a bandleader into the 21st century.
In 2006, Telarc released Genuine Chestnut, his first album for the label. On it he is accompanied by his regular trio of Michael Hawkins, bass and Neal Smith, drums. Additional artists on this session include Russell Malone, guitar and Steven Kroon, percussion. It includes jazz interpretations of some well-known pop numbers of the past half-century, including "If", the early 1970s soft-rock ballad by Bread. "This song has been with me ever since the sixth grade," Chestnut recalled, "I had to play it for my English teacher's wedding. I've played it in many and various contexts. I actually played it in a Top 40 band when I was just out of school. A lot of time has passed, but then recently I just started thinking about it again."[5] Chestnut's own "Mason–Dixon Line" is one of the album's high points, a joyful bebop number.[6]
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992? | The Nutman Speaks | Alfa Jazz | ||
| 1992? | The Nutman Speaks Again | Alfa Jazz | ||
| 1992 | Nut | Evidence/Alfa Jazz | Trio, with Christian McBride (bass), Carl Allen (drums) | |
| 1993 | Another Direction | Evidence | Trio, with Christian McBride (bass), Carl Allen (drums) | |
| 1993 | Revelations | Atlantic | Trio, with Christopher J. Thomas (bass), Clarence Penn (drums) | |
| 1994 | Dark Before the Dawn | Atlantic | Trio, with Steve Kirby (bass), Clarence Penn (drums) | |
| 1995 | Earth Stories | Atlantic Records | Atlantic | With Eddie Allen (trumpet), Antonio Hart (alto sax), Steve Kirby (bass), Alvester Garnett (drums) |
| 1996 | Blessed Quietness | Atlantic | Solo piano | |
| 1997 | American Meditation | Baybridge | Manhattan Trinity+1, with Antonio Hart (alto sax), George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 1998 | Cyrus Chestnut | Atlantic | with James Carter (alto sax), Joe Lovano (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), Billy Higgins, Lewis Nash (drums), Anita Baker (vocals) | |
| 1998 | Make Me a Memory | Baybridge | Manhattan Trinity+1, with Teodross Avery (tenor, soprano sax), George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 1998 | A Love Story | M&I | Manhattan Trinity+1, with Eric Alexander (tenor sax), George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2000 | A Charlie Brown Christmas | Atlantic | with Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Kenny Garrett (alto sax), choir | |
| 2001 | Soul Food | Atlantic | with Marcus Printup (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Gary Bartz (alto sax), James Carter (tenor sax), Stefon Harris (vibraphone), Christian McBride (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2001 | Love Letters | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2002 | You Are My Sunshine | Warner Bros. | Trio, with Michael Hawkins (bass), Neal Smith (drums) | |
| 2002 | Misty | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2003 | Alfie | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2004 | Charade | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2005 | Genuine Chestnut | Telarc | Some tracks trio, with Michael Hawkins (bass), Neal Smith (drums); some tracks quartet with Russell Malone (guitar) added; some tracks quartet with Steven Kroon (percussion) added; some tracks quintet | |
| 2006 | The Gentle Rain | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2007 | Cyrus Plays Elvis | Koch | Trio, with Dezron Douglas (bass), Neal Smith (drums) | |
| 2007 | Cyrus Chestnut Trio - Black Nile | M&I | Trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Al Foster (drums) | |
| 2008 | Sunflower - Henry Mancini Songbook | M&I | Manhattan Trinity, with George Mraz (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) | |
| 2008 | Spirit | Jazz Legacy | Solo piano | |
| 2010 | Cyrus Chestnut Trio - Journeys | Jazz Legacy | Trio, with Dezron Douglas (bass), Neal Smith (drums) | |
| 2010 | The Cyrus Chestnut Quartet | WJ3 | Quartet, with Stacy Dillard (tenor and soprano saxophones), Dezron Douglas (bass), Willie Jones III (drums) | |
| 2011 | Cyrus Chestnut Trio - Moonlight Sonata | Venus | Trio, with Dezron Douglas (bass), Neal Smith (drums) | |
| 2013 | Soul Brother Cool | WJ3 | Quartet, with Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Dezron Douglas (bass), Willie Jones III (drums) | |
| 2014 | Midnight Melodies | Smoke Sessions | Trio, with Curtis Lundy (bass), Victor Lewis (drums) | |
| 2014 | A Million Colors in Your Mind | Highnote | Trio, with David Williams (bass), Victor Lewis (drums) | |
| 2015 | Natural Essence | Highnote | Trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Lenny White (drums) | |
| 2017 | There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit | Highnote | Most tracks trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Lenny White (drums); some tracks quartet, with Steve Nelson (vibraphone) | |
| 2018 | Kaleidoscope | Highnote | Trio, with Eric Wheeler (bass), Chris Beck (drums) | |
| 2022 | My Father's Hands | Highnote | Trio, with Peter Washington (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) |
With Gerald Albright
With Carl Allen
With Carl Allen & Rodney Whitaker
With Tiffany Austin
With Gary Bartz
With Kathleen Battle
With Alexander Berenson
With Dee Dee Bridgewater
With Jeri Brown
With Ronnie Burrage
With Ann Hampton Callaway
With Betty Carter
With James Carter
With Michael Carvin
With Freddy Cole
With Carla Cook
With Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet
With Dee Daniels
With Michael Dease
With Dr. John and the Donald Harrison Band
With Cynthia Felton
With The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band
With Jimmy Greene
With Mark Gross
With Roy Hargrove
With Donald Harrison
With Vincent Herring
With Laird Jackson
With Denise Jannah
With George Kawaguchi
With The Keystone Quartet
With Kevin Mahogany
With Wynton Marsalis
With Christian McBride
With Bette Midler
With Charnett Moffett
With George Mraz
With Roy Nathanson
With Chiara Pancaldi
With Madeleine Peyroux
With Morris Robinson
With Jackie Ryan
With Ameen Saleem
With Andy Scott
With Jimmy Scott
With Marilyn Scott
With Bud Shank
With Jae Sinnett
With Billy Taylor
With Joris Teepe and The Don Braden Quintet
With Tim Warfield
With Sadao Watanabe
With Kim Waters
With Rodney Whitaker
With Phil Wilson's Rainbow Band
With Steve Wilson
With Joh Yamada
With Dave Young
| Year | Title | Genre | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: The Fire of the Fundamentals | Jazz | Sony | with Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Betty Carter, Chris Thomas, Christian McBride, et al. | |
| 1999 | Essential Young Lions Vol. 1 | Jazz | Hip-O | with Roy Hargrove, Larry Goldings Trio, Stefon Harris, Donald Harrison, The Benny Green Trio, Stefon Harris, et al. | |
| 2000 | Piano Grand! A Smithsonian Celebration | classical, jazz and rock & roll | Sony | with Diana Krall, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Dave Brubeck, Billy Joel, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Levin, et al. | |
| 2003 | Torch: A Six Degrees Collection of Modern Torch Songs | Jazz | Six Degrees | with Cassandra Wilson, Bugge Wesseltoft, Roy Nathanson, Sylk 130, Elvis Costello, dZihan & Kamien, Sarah Cracknell, et al. | |
| 2007 | Funky Jazz Party, Vol. 2: Love Jams | Jazz | Atlantic | with Anita Baker, Steve Cole, Wayman Tisdale, Gerald Albright, Brian Culbertson, Rick Braun, et al. |