Soul Food

Baltimore-born pianist Cyrus Chestnut has played with a number of stars, including Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, and opera diva Kathleen Battle. He's also an engaging leader in his own right, and this disc with drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Christian McBride finds him exploring and elaborating on soul music in a jazz context. Augmented by saxophonist James Carter, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and trumpeter Marcus Printup, Chestnut and company get into a lot of moods and grooves: from the Art Blakey-style, hard-bop edges of the title tune to the Horace Silver-themed "In the Underground" with vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Chestnut's musical education encompasses both the bandstand and the church service, and his reverent solo reading of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" showcases his spellbinding and syncopated command of sacred and secular swing. --Eugene Holley Jr.