BIX TOP ACT • CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO

The exceptional pianist Cyrus Chestnut, born in Baltimore in 1963, has been one of the most powerful yet sensitive voices in modern jazz piano for decades.

He began playing at Mount Calvary Baptist Church at the age of six and studied classical music at the renowned Peabody Institute at the age of nine. After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a degree in jazz composition and arranging - honored with scholarships and awards such as the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the Quincy Jones Scholarship and the Basie Award - Chestnut embarked on an impressive international career.
As a sideman, he worked with greats such as Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Lauryn Hill, Frank Morgan and the legendary singers Betty Carter, Joe Williams and Jon Hendricks. His collaboration with Betty Carter was particularly influential, encouraging him to take musical risks and further develop his unmistakable style.

In parallel, Chestnut built a significant career as a bandleader, releasing over two dozen albums on labels such as Atlantic, Warner, Telarc, HighNote and Smoke Sessions, and receiving international acclaim from Swing Journal in Japan to Down Beat Magazine in the USA. His stylistic range extends from gospel and spirituals to straight-ahead jazz and surprising projects such as "Cyrus Plays Elvis".

"I want to bring joy to as many people as possible," says Chestnut - and that's exactly what happens when he takes to the stage: music full of soul, energy and freedom.

In his trio, he is accompanied by two internationally renowned and experienced musicians. The American bassist Darryl Hall won the Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition in 1996 and has lived in New York and Paris ever since. With his virtuosity, warm sound and unerring beat, he is the first choice of many soloists and has worked with Regina Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Mark Murphy, Cedar Walton, Harold Mabern and many others. The Austrian drummer Bernd Reiter, winner of the Hans Koller Prize in 2006 and, after years in Munich and Paris, now living in Austria and New York again, has also played with many jazz greats such as Don Menza, Charles Davis, Harold Mabern, Kirk Lightsey, Mundell Lowe, Steve Grossman, Claudio Roditi and many more.

Experience an evening full of swing, spirituality and pure jazz poetry - with one of the great pianists of our time.

Cast: Cyrus Chestnut (p); Darryl Hall (b); Bernd Reiter (dr)