Chris Pattishall

Illustration by Matthew Shipley

Durham native and Grammy-nominated pianist, Chris Pattishall, is performing his debut album Zodiac. Watch his performance live, which expands on Mary Lou Williams’s Zodiac Suite, at Duke’s Rubenstein Arts Center Nov 5th & 6th. We caught up with him before he got on stage:

Please describe the feeling when you perform on the stage with one word.

Connection.

You are a jazz performer, but do you play other genres when you are just messing around at home?

I am a voracious and eclectic consumer of music. I draw from everything I listen to both on and offstage. I'm intrigued by the sounds themselves and the processes and systems that produce them. In my own work I'm sorting and combining these influences and hopefully expanding my practice. I think way less about genre than I do about how to produce a mood.

What chord captures the spirit of Mary Lou Williams?

I don't think a single chord can capture Mary Lou Williams. She was continuously exploring and bringing in new influences to her music. While her sound is recognizable (the balance between her left and right hands, active harmonic movement and a colorful timbral palette, the grounding of blues and gospel music), I think her spirit is communicated more through her endless musical exploration and the cooperative nature of so much of the music she composed.

What movie had the best music?

Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown score is a personal favorite. Robert Altman's Images has a great score by John Williams, and more recently Hildur Guðnadóttir's score for Chernobyl really struck me.

Any pro tips to combat stage fright?

This is a tricky one, but I think it comes down to knowing that your self-worth isn't dependent on whether you perform well. You love to perform- there's an experience of fun that isn't inhibited by your ego. Be present in that. It doesn't have to be perfect to be fun and meaningful.

What Ghostbusters character do you relate to?

I haven't seen Ghostbusters in a long time, but I empathize with the Subway Ghost.

Zodiac

Friday, November 5th, 2021, 8pm: Buy tickets

Saturday, November 6, 2021, 8pm: Buy tickets

Special Thanks to Duke Arts for sponsoring this interview.