The tenor saxophonist and composer Jimmy Heath often dropped this piece of riddled wisdom in the presence of young people: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!” Well, we aren’t sure pianist Cyrus Chestnut was ever in hearing distance of Heath’s tidbit, although he did engage in practicing, from the age of 6, when he first began piano lessons and played as a youngster at the Baptist church, through his degree from Berklee College of Music.
Moving into the late 1980s and onward, Chestnut’s talent earned him stints and recordings with the likes of Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Freddy Cole, and Carla Cook. He has recorded consistently as a leader since 1992 with his first albums—“The Nutman Speaks” (Alfa Jazz) and “Nut “(Evidence/Alfa Jazz); his most recent CD is “My Father’s Hands” (HighNote Records 2022).
It happens that on April 19 at Carnegie Hall (8 p.m.), the Cecilia Chorus of New York, led by music director Mark Shapiro, will present the world premiere of Chestnut’s “Power in the Blood,” along with Beethoven’s “Christ on the Mount.” Soloists will be soprano Nicoletta Berry, tenor Travon Walker, bass Matthew Anchel, and Chestnut’s trio.
“In 2021, word reached me about a large-scale choral project Cyrus was working on, planned for a prestigious hall…I reached out to him…asking if he might be interested in a collaboration,” said Shapiro. “He said, yes and we agreed, he would create a new 45-minute composition for the Cecilia Chorus of New York. We would give its world premiere, with Cyrus himself joining us from the keyboard in his first-ever experience headlining at Carnegie Hall.”
The Cecilia Chorus of New York was founded in 1906, of which Shapiro has been the music director since 2011. The 150-voice chorus has been described as “reliably venturesome” (the New Yorker, 2017).
“These arrangements of Easter songs come from a larger work entitled ‘The Saga of the Cross.’ It is the story of Easter told from the African American perspective,” noted Chestnut. “This work combines European and African musical traditions. Elements of gospel, jazz, and classical idioms work together to present this story of love.”
For ticket information, visit carnegiehall.com or ceciliachorusny.org.
Flushing Town Hall (137–35 Northern Blvd.,n Queens) has been intent on delivering a diverse musical concept that brings together two global music artists who share their music. The ongoing series is called the Global Mashup, where two cultures meet on one stage with an open dance floor. It’s a scene where different worlds of music can be absorbed. If the beat hits you, jump on the dance floor.
On April 20, the Global Mashup features “Mali meets Mexico.” Master kora player (a 21-stringed plucked instrument) Yacouba Sissoko from Mali will share his music to expand the awareness of West African history and culture, and empower his listeners to take charge and realize their imagined goals.
Sissoko was born to a well-known Djeli family in Kita, Mali. For centuries, Djelis have been the musical storytellers. They are the keepers of the factual history and fictional fables. Djeli, like Griot, are words of French derivatives, both denoting the West African oral tradition, historians, poets, and/or musicians, which are the roots of African American folklore.
Sissoko’s Mashup partners will be multi-genre performers Julia del Palacio and Claudia Valentina as Juntas Chicas, an experimental project that aims to amplify female voices working in traditional Mexican music in New York City.
In 2023, Paula Sánchez-Kucukozer joined the band and now Juntas Chicas is led by all three women. Together, Juntas Chicas mix son jarocho—the traditional music, dance, and song from Veracruz, Mexico, with jazz, cumbia, and flamenco, with sounds inspired by their experiences of living and playing music in New York City.
A Q&A will follow the performance. For tickets, visit flushingtownhall.org or call 718-463-7700. The concert starts at 7 p.m.
Since its 1972 inception, the Billie Holiday Theatre (aka the “Billie” or the BHT) has provided the best in Black theater, along with culturally significant elements of the African diaspora. The Billie, in the center of Bedford-Stuyvesant (1368 Fulton Street), reflects its roots in the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements, a revolutionary spirit of expressionism that provides an inside view of Black life in America through the aesthetics of performance, dance, music, and art.
The Billie’s current art exhibit, “Sky’s the Limit: Music is My Resistance,” runs through May 30. As the title suggests, the artists’ works of sculpture, painting, and photography reflect how the broad kaleidoscope of Black music continues to play through what seems to be an infinite fluctuating struggle.
The exhibition’s pivotal highlight is sculptor Sherwin Banfield’s mammoth 9-foot-high stainless steel and bronze installation, created in tribute to Brooklyn’s born and raised son the Notorious B.I.G., who is considered one of the important hip hop artists of his generation. The sculpture consists of a crowned bust of Biggie’s head on top of a steel frame, supported by panels that display the rapper’s achievements.
The mixed media monument offers a different representation of Black artists in public art and seeks to inspire and “spread love the Brooklyn Way.” The structure also includes an exclusive mix curated by DJ Mister Cee and playing on its internal solar-power speakers.
Smaller Biggie-centric sculpted pieces created by Banfield are on display, including limited edition Biggie portrait busts, as well as framed prints and postcards. The exhibition includes works by 21 visual artists and photographers, such as Ron West’s images of Bob Marley and the Wailers, along with Stevie Wonder, during their U.S. tour (both musicians’ lyrics remain a force of resistance).
Banfield’s artform reflects the ancient times of Egyptian sculpting when statues paid homage to great pharaohs and gods; most memorable are the Seated Statue of Khafre and the Great Sphinx of Giza. Banfield acknowledged his work has historical significance, but added, “I am monumentalizing the giants of hip hop, who inspired me and shifted the music scene of American culture.”
Banfield is also hoping his “Biggie Smalls” sculptures inspire young people to take to sculpting, while noting that “you need resources to present sculptures to the public. I am doing my part with the little I have”—as did early Harlem sculptor Augusta Savage.
The exhibit highlights a unique three-dimensional mini collection of musicians by Derick Cross, using polymer clay, and a colorful painting of Billie Holiday on metal by Italian artist Massimo Chioccia.
“Sky’s the Limit: Music is My Resistance” is free and open to the public daily Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. All art is available for purchase.
For more info, visit www.thebillieholiday.org.