Cyrus Chestnut, Rhythm, Melody and Harmony Review

Precision and Pulse: Inside the Architecture of Cyrus Chestnut’s Musicianship

By Nolan DeBuke

Cyrus Chestnut’s latest release, Rhythm, Melody and Harmony, is a trio-plus-one session that puts another notch in a prolific discography. The well-structured set has a vibrant blueprint for modern acoustic jazz flavored with contemporary gospel. Chestnut’s playing has always married virtuosity with narrative clarity, and here, with saxophonist Stacy Dillard, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Chris Beck, he leads a quartet with a true sense of cohesion.

“Cured and Seasoned” lives up to its title: it’s rhythmically hard-bop and blues-drenched, played with the authority of musicians who know the tradition inside and out. Built on riff-based motifs, both Dillard’s saxophone and Chestnut’s piano solos draw heavily on bebop vocabulary while flirting with modern angularities and contemporary gospel. Beck’s and Cannon’s swing feel is buoyant yet grounded, and the tune struts confidently, introducing a quartet that’s clearly operating at a high level of mutual understanding.

Chestnut’s arrangement of “Autumn Leaves” is inventive. He nods to the iconic Miles/Adderley version through a witty reworking of the line cliché for the intro. The feel pivots into a swing waltz that breathes new life into the familiar form. Meter manipulation becomes a compositional device that further ornaments the feel. His solo is thematic and develops the harmonic recontextualization in a clear, elegant, and unforced manner.

Built around an infectious bass groove, “Ami’s Dance” radiates joy. The A section evokes a Latin jazz feel, complete with syncopated phrasing, while the B section shifts into contemporary gospel-saturated rhythm and contemporary harmony. The rhythmic elasticity within the ensemble recalls the joyful, making the piece a feel-good experience that doesn’t compromise on structural integrity or improvisational depth.

In “Prelude for George,” Chestnut opens with a lyrical piano figure that is equal parts elegant and daring. In the melody, Dillard’s soprano sax shadows the piano’s phrasing in tight melodic unison and close harmony, heightening the emotional weight. The form moves through various tempos and feels, with unexpected harmonic shifts that maintain narrative flow. This is writing and playing that values structure and creativity.

A medium-up swinger, “Twinkle Tones” delights in its rhythmic, Melodic, and harmonic flow. Built over familiar changes, the ensemble turns it into a conversation, with Cannon delivering a melodic bass solo that sings. Chestnut follows with a solo that balances linear bebop runs with lush chordal ideas, a demonstration of his command over vertical and horizontal dimensions. Beck and Cannon’s time feel remains deeply rooted in swing and open to allow elasticity in interaction.

“Song for the Andes” is a post-bop modal terrain composition. Dillard’s soprano work leans into the post-bop language, and Chestnut’s voicings are colorful and percussive. The tune is a conversation in modern jazz, modal, yes, but never static. The ensemble responds with a shared vocabulary and tone palette.

Opening with Cannon’s bluesy, harmonically rich solo, complete with natural harmonics, “Big Foot” is angular, playful, and full of surprise. The main melody thrives on rhythmic displacement and intervallic tension. Chestnut and Dillard trade off with a conversational flair, demonstrating real-time composition through call and response. The piece is a vehicle for group invention, and each solo feels like a co-authored chapter.

The album’s only solo piano track, “Moonlight in Vermont,” displays Chestnut’s touch on the piano, which is deliberate and expressive. Drawing from contemporary gospel harmony and modern jazz voice-leading to recast the tune. He resists the temptation to overplay, instead letting space and resonance of harmonic movement carry the emotional arc. There is something Lester Young-like in how Chestnut “sings” the lyrics through his phrasing.

“There Is a Fountain” reflects Chestnut’s deep roots in the church. The hymn receives a contemporary gospel-jazz treatment, harmonically adventurous yet emotionally grounded. Dillard’s soprano is reverent but exploratory, and the ensemble lifts the piece into a space of collective affirmation. It’s a fitting conclusion, both a benediction and a reflection of what the album offers: faith in melody, trust in rhythm, and respect for the sacredness of harmony.

Chestnut has long been a torchbearer for the jazz tradition, but Rhythm, Melody and Harmony isn’t a backward-looking record. It’s an argument for continuity, for honoring the spiritual and technical lineage of jazz while remaining unafraid to innovate within it. Listeners will find clarity in the ensemble’s phrasing and form. The performances have technical discipline, tasteful interplay, and artistic depth.

Rhythm, Melody and Harmony is a strong entry in Chestnut’s catalog with its contemporary gospel and modern jazz appeal. It’s a primer on how to build and maintain a working band that swings, communicates, and uplifts. A remarkable recording.