Smoke Sessions Presents Cyrus Chestnut, Orrin Evans & Eric Reed

The Quintessential Sound of New York Jazz: A Trio of Pianists

Smoke Sessions Releases New Albums by Cyrus Chestnut, Orrin Evans and Eric Reed

Smoke Sessions Records, the new imprint of New York City’s influential uptown club Smoke, releases new live recordings by a trio of three masterful jazz piano peers, Cyrus Chestnut, Orrin Evans, and Eric Reed. Smoke has a reputation among a number of pianists as “the place” in New York City and these recordings will only help to reinforce this claim. “Smoke is the best place musically to play in New York,” says pianist David Hazeltine, who released an album on Smoke Sessions Records earlier this year. “It’s very intimate and they get a great sound: it’s studio quality with the added energy of a live audience.”

“What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is
a willingness to abandon notes and play space.” – Time Magazine

Cyrus Chestnut, the soulful straight-ahead piano master, releases his first live recording, captured in front of an enthusiastic and appreciative audience in the club’s comfortably intimate setting. In addition, Chestnut boasts that Smoke’s Steinway B is the best piano in the city. “It’s just my ticket. We connect. It’s warm and it’s sharp at the same time with a lot of earth in it. I like clubs like the Jazz Standard or Smoke, where you can sit down at the piano and get down-home, because that’s the kind of audience they attract.”

Joining Cyrus are bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, two veterans of the John Hicks’ trio. Together they take listeners on a musical odyssey that includes music by Billy Strayhorn, John Coltrane, and, of course, John Hicks like the album’s penultimate masterpiece, “Naima’s Love Song.” Cyrus is one of the great piano voices of his generation as he proves again with this rewarding live debut. Midnight Melodies is available for purchase as an 8-panel CD-Deluxe Album complete with liner notes, interview and additional photos or as a high resolution download mastered for iTunes.

Cyrus Chestnut · Midnight Melodies
Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: July 8, 2014