Flutist Herbie Mann and his group of the time (Jasil Brazz) perform contemporary Brazilian music on this CD, including three numbers by Ivan Lins. Some of the treatments are strictly [more]
Just prior to signing with RCA/Novus, John Pizzarelli recorded two sets for Chesky that featured him playing in the swing style that he would soon make quite popular. Although [more]
At the age of 71, Johnny Frigo finally had his debut as a leader on record, with the exception of an obscure effort in 1957. Although [more]
Like father, like sons, acoustic guitarist Larry Coryell and sons Julian and Murali get together for their first recorded project, and it sounds fine. Larry [more]
With this album, David Johansen embarks on what could possibly be the fourth phase of his career. His first three, of course, were his tenure as [more]
Right in the middle of celebrating his 79th birthday, Clark Terry went into the studio for several days to record 14 duets with a different pianist on each track, with many of them being [more]
Chuck Mangione, the famed flugelhornist and trumpeter fills his first recording of the 21st century with some wonderfully subdued love songs whose subtle, intimate qualities [more]
The veteran alto saxman isn't doing gospel music anymore, but the staff at Chesky set Konitz and the other members of his quartet up in the perfect acoustic environment of St. Peter's [more]
Bucky Pizzarelli leads a strong quintet through this intimate live set at Makor, a Manhattan night spot. The seven-string guitarist is always game for anything, and with a superb [more]
David Chesky is a perfect example of a professional musician who spent much of his time helping to run a record company. The New York resident, who grew up in Miami, co-owns the independent Chesky Records with his younger brother Norman Chesky; and because the Manhattan-based company has taken up a lot of his time, David Chesky's own catalog isn't as large as it could be. Nonetheless, he's a talented pianist, keyboardist, producer, and composer who is capable of playing jazz as well as European classical and different types of Latin music (including Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and tango). David Chesky has been in the music world since the late '70s; in 1978, he formed a fusion-oriented big band that included major players like saxman Michael Brecker, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and keyboardist Bob James. The improviser led that big band on his first album, Rush Hour, which Columbia/CBS (now Columbia/Sony) released in 1980.
The early to mid-'80s found Chesky doing a lot of classical composing; his pieces were performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and others. By 1987, David Chesky and his brother were running Chesky Records, an audiophile-friendly company that has concentrated on jazz, European classical, and Latin music. The list of artists that Chesky Records recorded since the late '80s is a long one; Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Clark Terry, Paquito D'Rivera, McCoy Tyner, Tom Harrell, John Pizzarelli, Red Rodney, Fred Hersch, and Johnny Frigo are among the well-known jazz instrumentalists who David Chesky has worked with as a producer for Chesky Records. The label has dabbled in vocal jazz and traditional pop, putting out CDs by Peggy Lee, LaVerne Butler, Christy Baron, and Rebecca Pidgeon; and the company has recorded Brazilian artists like Ana Caram, Badi Assad, Leny Andrade, and the late {Luiz Bonfá}. The first album that David Chesky recorded for Chesky Records was 1989's Club de Sol, which was followed by 1990's The New York Chorinhos (an album of piano/guitar duets with Brazilian guitarist Romero Lumbambo). The pianist was reunited with Lumbambo in 1992, when they recorded The Tangos and Dances for Chesky Records. David Chesky's subsequent albums for that label included 1996's The Fantasies, 1997's 3 Psalms for String Orchestra, and 1998's Snowbears of Lake Louise. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide