Cyrus Chestnut's 2016 effort, the superb
Natural Essence, benefitted greatly from his pairing with the duo of bassist
Buster Williams and drummer
Lenny White. Thankfully, the pianist has followed up with another engaging set featuring the same veteran luminaries. An adept virtuoso talent,
Chestnut soars alongside
Williams and
White on 2017's
There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit. Elder jazz statesmen,
Williams and
White have decades of experience under their hats with credits for such legends as
Herbie Hancock,
Freddie Hubbard,
Art Blakey,
Woody Shaw, and many others. Similarly,
Chestnut has worked with such luminaries as
Terence Blanchard,
Betty Carter,
Wynton Marsalis, and more. While all of his albums are worth checking out, there is something inspired and kinetic about his playing with
Williams and
White, as if they are all three pushing each other to discover new avenues of expression. Joining them this time on several tracks is yet another volcanic talent in vibraphonist
Steve Nelson. Though he only appears on three cuts, his warm harmonic resonance contrasts beautifully with
Chestnut's as they dig into an expansive late-'60s jazz sound on two of vibraphonist
Bobby Hutcherson's best-known compositions, "Little B's Poem" and "The Littlest One of All." Away from
Nelson,
Chestnut displays his genre-bending skills on "Chopin Prelude," transfiguring the classical piece first with a cubist
Thelonious Monk-style intro and later with a swinging
Ellingtonian mid-section. Similarly compelling are the group's muscular and exotic take on
Miles Davis' "Nardis" and a spritely reading of
Williams' "Christina." Elsewhere, they deliver a languid and romantic take on
the Stylistics' 1973 classic "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and dive headlong into the pianist's own Latin-infused "CDC." Ultimately, if there's one overriding sentiment that drives all of
There's a Sweet Sweet Spirit, it's
Chestnut and his band's spirit of soulful camaraderie. ~ Matt Collar
