Open to Interpretations

The Marsalis brothers, Wynton and Branford, have done it. So have bassist Ron Carter, pianist Marcus Roberts and guitarist Jim Hall. Now jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut wants to play classical music. With his own spin.

Chestnut, off a plane from Brazil, where he performed concerts in Rio de Janeiro and Sa~o Paulo, talked by phone Sunday from New York about his recent infatuation with things classical.

The 35-year-old pianist is becoming a regular in concert halls. He appeared at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in December as music director for operatic singer Kathleen Battle’s pop-jazz tour, So Many Stars. Over the summer, he appeared opposite the New York Philharmonic in Central Park.

“I have an interest in all forms of music,” Chestnut explained. “All my formal training was in classical music, and I’m starting to listen to and research that music once again.”

Plans for Chestnut’s appearance with the New York Philharmonic called for him to join the ensemble and perform a piano arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Concerto in F minor.

“But there wasn’t enough time with tight schedules to rehearse what I had in mind,” Chestnut said. “What I wanted to do--and with no disrespect to the original composer--was an interpretation of the piece, something that may not have been to the orchestra’s liking right off. We were going to need more than one day of preparation.”

An example of what Chestnut means by “interpretation” is a tune called “Baroque Impressions” from his 1995 recording “The Dark Before the Dawn.” This jazz variation on Bach’s “Invention in D minor” takes wide rhythmic and dramatic license with the master’s chart.

In much the same way, Chestnut has put his stamp on the music from his last album, a collection of familiar hymns, spirituals and Christmas carols titled “Blessed Quietness.”

“I don’t want to be known as a repertoire player of classical music,” Chestnut said.

“There are too many people out there already who do such a great job. I want to bring my own point of view to that [classical] tradition.”

Chestnut’s schedule brings him to Orange County this week and again in December for a program of seasonal music with the Pacific Symphony.

This weekend, Chestnut will focus on jazz, with a classical variation or two during his two-night run with bassist Steve Kirby and drummer Alvester Garnett.

“Mostly,” he said, “we’ll be doing music from all my Atlantic [label] records, some new compositions and hopefully unique arrangements of classic standards.”

* The Cyrus Chestnut Trio opens the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Jazz Club at the Center series, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $30. (714) 556-2787.