On Stage: Airmen of Note with Cyrus Chestnut

This Sunday, September 3rd  at 4 p.m., KUVO’s performance broadcast “On Stage” features highlights from the U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note in concert with legendary pianist Cyrus Chestnut.

The concert, recorded late last year in Alexandria, Va. is part of The Airmen of Note’s Jazz Heritage Series, which shows off the U.S Air Force’s high level of professionalism through concerts featuring masters of the only American-born art form–jazz.

About Cyrus Chestnut: Soulful jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut might just be proof positive of the impact that music has on babies in the womb. Either that, or a life in music was simply in his blood. Chestnut’s father, a postal employee and son of a church minister, was the official organist for their local church in Baltimore, Maryland. His home was filled with the sounds of the gospel music his church-going parents played in their home, along with jazz records by artists such as Thelonius Monk and Jimmy Smith. Chestnut has said that the roots of his love of music began there; and, to this day, Chestnut’s ties to the gospel church remain constant.

Chestnut continually tours with his trio, playing live at jazz festivals around the world as well as clubs and concert halls. His leadership and prowess as a soloist has also led him to be a first call for the piano chair in many big bands including the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.

About the Airmen of Note: The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force, regularly performs and records with the leading artists in the jazz world. In 1990, the Note started its popular Jazz Heritage Series. These concerts featured internationally acclaimed jazz musicians joining forces with one of the best big bands in America–the Airmen of Note.