| Natural Essence | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Cyrus Chestnut |
| Cover: | Natural Essence (Cyrus Chestnut album).jpg |
| Released: | May 20, 2016 |
| Recorded: | November 17, 2015 |
| Studio: | Yamaha Hall, New York, NY |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Length: | 63:09 |
| Label: | HighNote HCD 7283 |
| Producer: | Cyrus Chestnut |
| Chronology: | Cyrus Chestnut |
| Prev Title: | A Million Colors in Your Mind |
| Prev Year: | 2014 |
| Next Title: | There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
Natural Essence is an album by pianist Cyrus Chestnut that was recorded in 2015 and released on the HighNote label the following year.[1] [2]
According to the AllMusic review by Matt Collar: "While many of Chestnut's recordings lean toward the strait-laced and straight-ahead approach to modern jazz, he is by no means a reserved musical traditionalist. On the contrary, while he is adept at swinging acoustic jazz, one of his most formative experiences was as a member of vocalist Betty Carter's trio. A genre-bending maverick, Carter purportedly encouraged Chestnut to try new things and approach even the most well-known standard in an unexpected way. That expectation defying aesthetic fits nicely into Chestnut's work here with Williams and White, who come from a generation of jazz musicians who grew up playing electrified fusion, funk, and highly progressive post-bop influenced by the avant-garde. While the music here is more stripped down to the jazz essentials, they nonetheless tackle even the most well-known standard, like 'It Could Happen to You,' with a creative ebullience and in-the-moment spontaneity that grab your attention throughout. Also thrilling are the trio's takes on several original compositions".
In JazzTimes, Mike Joyce stated: "Chordal jabs, light-fingered trills, cascading runs, robust turnarounds-no question: Pianist Cyrus Chestnut is in delightfully animated form".[3]