Born in January 1963, Cyrus Chestnut first sat down at the piano with his father at age five, and began his formal training at seven. Years later, armed with a Berklee degree in jazz composition and arranging, he spent several years as a sideman for high-profile artists like Jon Hendricks, Betty Carter, Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison.

Prior to joining Telarc, Chestnut recorded a string of records on Atlantic between 1993 and 2001, including the highly regarded Earth Stories (1995) and Cyrus Chestnut (1998). His variety of influences has made for an eclectic style over the years, although gospel has been a recurring thread in many of his recordings.