Wanting his music to be felt not just in the head but also in the heart and soul, pianist Cyrus Chesnut's technical, fluid style is rooted both in the churches he grew up in and the smoky jazz clubs where he honed his talent.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland Chestnut started learning the piano at the age of seven from his father who played in the local church, before studying at the Peabody Institute and later the Berklee School of Music. He worked with Jon Hendricks and Donald Harrison in the late 1980s but his biggest influence was vocalist Betty Carter who mentored him to push himself beyond his comfort zone and explore new boundaries. Signing to Atlantic Records, he released his breakthrough record 'Revelation' in 1993 and became part of the neo-bop, New York jazz scene with peers like Wynton Marsalis and Terry Blanchett.

Dubbed 'the young lions', they defiantly helped energise the traditions of all-night, basement bars and sprawling, meandering jam sessions that were being replaced by more modern, electronic, fusion styles at the time. He also recorded with the great Dizzy Gillespie, opera soprano Kathleen Battle and Bette Midler on her album 'Bathhouse Betty', and established his reputation as one of the great jazz pianist of the era with a string of much-loved records including the gospel-tinged 'Blessed Quietness' and the hard swinging, New Orleans-style 'Soul Food' in 2001.

Never afraid to venture down unlikely musical paths, he has also turned his hand to the Elvis Presley songbook on 'Cyrus Plays Elvis' and covered songs by glam-rockers Bread, folk legend Ewan MacColl and soul crooner Lionel Richie, and his elegance of touch and dazzling speed remained as vibrant as ever on his 19th studio album 'There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit' in 2017.

Cyrus Chestnut

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