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| The Cyrus Chestnut Trio was recently featured at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale as part of the Gold Coast Jazz Society's ongoing series of concerts, scholarship competitions and jazz education programs. |
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I have to admit that I while I used to watch those syrupy sweet films starring the late Elvis Presley, I was never a real fan of his music.
But after listening to the improvisational wizardry of child prodigy Cyrus Chestnut on the piano along with his musical colleagues Dezron L. Douglas (bass) and Neal Smith (drums), I have gained a newfound respect for "The King of Rock and Roll" - or at least his classic tunes.
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Chestnut, who began his career at the age of three, has played with and been mentored by some of the best in the business including Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie and Betty Carter. But it is his association with Carter, which began in 1991, that he says significantly affected his outlook and approach to music.
"She advised me to take chances and play things I've never heard," he said.
In February Chestnut will once again join his friend, Marsalis, in a special performance at the Lincoln Center where they will present the music of Count Basie. But here in Fort Lauderdale it was all about Elvis as Chestnut advised the audience to "fasten their seatbelts."
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"Our intention is to send you away feeling better than when you arrived," he said just before beginning the concert. "Everything we play is always original because the notes have never been played in quite the same way as we will perform them this evening. We thrive on spontaneity and allow ourselves to be free so we can move with inspiration."
From tunes like Love Me Tender and Caught in a Trance to original compositions and the familiar theme from A Charlie Brown Christmas, Chestnut displayed how he has mastered the art of jazz piano - employing countermelodies, trills and arpeggios and taking full advantage of his ability to move from the kinds of improvisation and chord structures associated with jazz to classical and then gospel interpretations. |
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At times, this writer could have sworn their were two pianos on stage - particularly given how the melody moved from one hand to the other, even barking out two distinct rhythms at the same time.
The show was advertised as a night of Elvis classics, but Chestnut shared that he rarely follows his playlist and this evening was no different.
"I have this list of songs with notes, chords and key signatures," he said during brief pause in the action. "But we've been known to never follow the playlist so why change now?"
With that in mind, Chestnut would continue to "move as the Spirit led him," sometimes branching out into compositions that he has yet to play in a public forum.
For example, he performed a new selection, Stripes, which he says he wrote by stepping away from the piano so that he could first |
concentrate on the melody before adding other techniques that would embellish the entire composition.
The musicians proceeded through the program with polished precision, illustrating both the simplicity and complexity of the jazz trio format. And as is essential in any trio, all three showed that they are true masters on their given instrument.
Time Magazine recently hailed Chestnut as the "best jazz pianist of his generation." And from what this writer along with a close to sold out audience heard, it appears that young Chestnut has certainly earned the distinction.
The next Mainstage concert will feature the Terry Myers Orchestra in a tribute to Benny Goodman on February 10th. For information about this or other events, go to www.goldcoastjazz.org.
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