Chris Pattishall

Like many of his favorite things, there is much more to Chris Pattishall than meets the eye. Most know him as a pianist with a hard-earned endorsement from the music’s traditional establishment—Wynton Marsalis once shortlisted him among his favorite young improvisers, and he’s also worked with Jimmy Heath, Jon Hendricks, and Wycliffe Gordon. But that’s just upon first glance. With his debut album Zodiac—a phantasmagorical interpretation of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite—Pattishall unveils himself as an erudite surrealist, following in the footsteps of his far-reaching influences: Roberto Bolaño, Luis Buñuel, Madlib, and Thelonious Monk. He shares their dedication to the quietly inexplicable, continuing their pursuit of the kinds of otherworldly resonances that defy the way we rationalize experience. Though he makes his living moonlighting as a scholar of Earl Hines and Erroll Garner, you’re more likely to find Pattishall in a wolf sweatshirt when he’s off the clock, passing through the Gladstone Gallery to experience the latest from Wangechi Mutu or heading to the Armory to check out Oneohtrix Point Never. With Zodiac, he takes a step towards unifying his interests. In collaboration with producer Rafiq Bhatia (of Son Lux) and an ensemble of close allies—Jamison Ross (drums), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Ruben Fox (saxophone), and Marty Jaffe (bass)—Pattishall renders Williams’ futuristic early jazz compositions with both understated melodicism and Fellini-esque unreality.