Natural Essence (Cyrus Chestnut album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

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".[3]

In JazzTimes, Mike Joyce stated: "Chordal jabs, light-fingered trills, cascading runs, robust turnarounds-no question: Pianist Cyrus Chestnut is in delightfully animated form".[4]

1. "Mamacita" (Joe Henderson) – 5:33
2. "It Could Happen to You" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – 7:12
3. "Faith Amongst the Unknown" (Cyrus Chestnut) – 6:15
4. "I Cover the Waterfront" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) – 6:57
5. "I Remember" (Chestnut) – 7:34
6. "Dedication" (Lenny White) – 8:01
7. "My Romance" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 9:06
8. "Toku-Do" (Buster Williams) – 6:20
9. "Minority" (Gigi Gryce) – 6:11

• Cyrus Chestnut – piano
• Buster Williams - bass
• Lenny White – drums