*** Cyrus Chestnut Trio
ANOTHER DIRECTION
(Evidence)
Two months before
Chestnut
recorded Revelation, the 1993 album that made him the
new piano star of the '90s, his trio made this album for the Japanese Alfa
label, and it's now being issued for the first time in the US. At 30, Chestnut
was then emerging from a lengthy apprenticeship under
Jon Hendricks,
Betty Carter, and the quintet of
Donald Harrison and
Terence Blanchard,
and it's clear he was ready to assert himself as a leader. On ballads ("For All We
Know," "My Funny Valentine") he crafts solos that flow over the entire
keyboard, balancing dense knots of chords and fast lines with lilting, airy
passages. Even at the lickety-split tempo of "Revel," his longest lines are
beautifully articulated, full of detailed twists and subtle shadings. Best of
all, he displays a playful side, recasting such familiar tunes as
Ellington's
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore" in 5/4 and
Irving Berlin's
"Blue Skies" as a
modal waltz. These touches prevent him from being complacent with well-worn
material. Chestnut's bandmates, the ubiquitous
Christian McBride
on bass and drummer Carl Allen,
complement and inspire him. The result is an exuberant CD
full of gentle wit that swings hard and raises the spirits.
-- Ed Hazell
(The Cyrus Chestnut Trio appears at the Regattabar this Tuesday, April
9.)
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