When the bespectacled man with the boyish round face sits down at the grand piano to play these days, listeners can still expect to hear the rich tone, jazz inflected with not only the influences of Fats Waller or McCoy Tyner, but also with a soulful element that comes from church roots. But some of the tunes that float through the room may harken back to another part of the listener's past. The music is jazz, but the familiar memories are coming from rock n' roll radio.
That would be Elvis.
Cyrus Chestnut is playing Elvis Presley these days in the wake of his latest recording, pointedly named Cyrus Plays Elvis, released in October, 2007 on Koch records. It's primarily piano trio music, with Dezron L. Douglas on bass and Neal Smith on drums, though Mark Gross plays sax on two numbers.
AAJ's R.J. DeLuke spoke with Chestnut about his lengthy career, and bringing Elvis into the jazz sphere.
Check out Cyrus Chestnut: Expounding on Elvis at AAJ today!
For more information contact All About Jazz.
