Cyrus Chestnut/Russell Malone Quartet
Lionel Loueke Trio
Friday, October 27 • 8:00pm
$64
$44
$36
$25
"The best jazz pianist of his generation" —Time
Program Notes
It seems only natural that Cyrus Chestnut and Russell Malone
would come together. Standard bearers of straight-ahead jazz
with a penchant for embracing pop repertoire, they have charted
similar—and similarly lauded—career paths. Both got
an early start in music, Malone stretching the limits of a blue
plastic four-string guitar at the age of five, and Chestnut tickling
the ivories at six. They both made their marks working with established
names: Chestnut with Betty Carter, Branford Marsalis, and Terence
Blanchard; Malone backing up Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick, and
Diana Krall. Their efforts as group leaders have seen them showered
with accolades. Chestnut has been called “the best pianist
of his generation” (Time); and Malone has been
praised for the “sure, commanding sound that mixed youthful
exuberance with the kind of elegant bravado found in seasoned
pros” (Billboard).
The pair finally met in the
studio earlier this year, with Malone contributing solos to three
tracks on Chestnut’s new album Genuine
Chestnut. They reunite tonight to co-lead their assured
quartet for this Festival-only performance of two of jazz’s
most brilliant stars.
Opening tonight’s performance is another guitarist who
stays true to his roots while expanding the vocabulary of jazz
guitar. Lionel Loueke was born in Benin (a narrow African country
wedged between Togo and Nigeria) and picked up the guitar as
an afterthought to his preferred instrument, the drums. That
early training in rhythm and his international sensibility have
made him an in-demand player for the likes of Terence Blanchard,
Charlie Haden, and Herbie Hancock.
Personnel:
Cyrus Chestnut/Russell Mallone Quartet
- Cyrus Chestnut, piano
- Russell Mallone, guitar
- Dezron Douglas, bass
- Neal Smith, drum
Lionel Loueke Trio
- Gilles Lionel Loueke, guitar
- Ferenc Nemeth, drums
- Massimo Biocati, bass
