DEC 6-22 | Holidays at SFJAZZ
Dec 20, 2024
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
“The best pianist of his generation” (Time Magazine), Cyrus Chestnut has established a career as a peerless soloist and torchbearer of the classic piano trio setting. He makes his debut in Miner Auditorium as a highlight of the holiday season, performing Bay Area jazz luminary Vince Guaraldi’s music from the beloved 1965 Charles Schultz animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas with his trio plus vocalist Haley Driver.
A standout since his student days at Berklee, Chestnut spent formative years accompanying vocalese legend Jon Hendricks, anchoring the quintessential young lion quintet of Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison, and touring with Wynton Marsalis. But he credits his early 1990s stint in vocal explorer Betty Carter’s band with radically expanding creative vision, appearing on her landmark 1992 late career Verve release It’s Not About the Melody. Since then, the pianist has racked up dozens of recording credits with jazz’s greatest names and 35 albums as a leader.
Chestnut’s performances of Guaraldi’s timeless score to the holiday classic appeared on his all-star 2000 Atlantic Records album Charlie Brown Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem and guests including the late Michael Brecker. For this date, Chestnut is joined by bassist Herman Burney, drummer Kelton Norris, and the remarkable young vocalist Driver — a standout rising star mentored by Chestnut as a student at New York’s The New School.
“The best pianist of his generation” (Time Magazine), Cyrus Chestnut performs Bay Area jazz luminary Vince Guaraldi’s music from the beloved 1965 Charles Schultz animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas with his trio plus vocalist Haley Driver.
What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space.
Time Magazine
What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space.
Time Magazine
Personnel
Cyrus Chestnut piano
Herman Burney bass
Kelton Norris drums
Haley Driver vocals
A highly intelligent improviser with one of the surest senses of swing in jazz.
the new york times on cyrus chestnut
Personnel
Cyrus Chestnut piano
Herman Burney bass
Kelton Norris drums
Haley Driver vocals
A highly intelligent improviser with one of the surest senses of swing in jazz.
the new york times on cyrus chestnut
Watch & Listen
Cyrus Chestnut
Skating
Cyrus Chestnut
Greensleeves
Cyrus Chestnut
Skating
Cyrus Chestnut
Greensleeves