For those unaware, Chris Whiteman and John Toomey bring distinct but complementary musical histories to their co-led quartet, joining the guitarist’s work as a performer, arranger, and educator with the pianist’s extensive experience in concert, touring, theatrical, and academic settings.

Originally from Montclair, New Jersey, Whiteman began on trumpet before turning to guitar and studying both classical music and jazz. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in jazz studies from the University of Miami and has served on the faculties of the University of Miami and The College of William & Mary.

Whiteman’s performing career has included appearances at the Blue Note, Birdland, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl. He toured for three years with vocalist Veronica Swift and has performed with musicians including Rick Braun, Royce Campbell, and Stephanie Nakasian. Alongside his work onstage and in the classroom, he is a Signature Artist Arranger for Musicnotes.com, with a particular focus on the possibilities of solo jazz guitar.

John Toomey is a pianist, educator, composer, and musical director whose career has moved between jazz performance, higher education, touring, and large-scale theatrical production. He directs the Attucks Jazz Series for the Virginia Arts Festival and has appeared regularly on the Diehn Concert Series.

His performance associations include Randy Brecker, John Fedchock, John Abercrombie, and Terrell Stafford, while his international work has included touring with vocalist Rene Marie and appearances at the JVC Jazz Festival in France and the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Together, Whiteman and Toomey bring those wide-ranging experiences into a shared quartet setting, where individual voices contribute to a larger ensemble identity.

Recorded at Révéler in Richmond, Virginia, on June 16th, 2025, Live at Révéler presents guitarist Chris Whiteman and pianist John Toomey as the co-leaders of a quartet completed by bassist Randall Pharr and drummer Aaron Binder.

Rather than organizing the session around a single featured voice, the album places guitar and piano together at the center of a live small-group setting, using two Whiteman originals and a wide-ranging selection of jazz repertoire to establish the quartet’s character. The performance was recorded by Tom Illmensee and mixed and mastered by Curtis Fye.

1. The Reveler [4:21]
2. Blue Monk [7:41]
3. Triste [6:47]
4. Footprints [8:48]
5. Comin’ Home Baby [6:47]
6. Autumn’s Fall [5:33]
7. All the Things You Are [8:41]
8. Stella by Starlight [8:24]
9. Like Someone in Love [8:06]
10. There Will Never Be Another You [9:31]

Described many times as an old soul, a devotee of classic jazz who finds new depth and delight in the Great American Songbook, Chris and the John Toomey Quartet open their new recording on the simply sparkling The Reveler and the stalwart, classic 12-bar jazz blues Thelonious Monk cut Blue Monk and then we are gifted the translucent elegance of Jobim’s Triste, the spirited fare of Wayne Shorter’s masterful Footprints, with the buoyantly soulful jazz standard Comin’ Home Baby along next.

Then we are lovingly brought forth the gracefully supple Autumn’s Fall and the joyful All the Things You Are (from the musical Very Warm for May) and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the vibrantly sculpted Stella by Starlight (from the Paramount film The Uninvited,), the set rounding out on an engaging Like Someone in Love, concluding with the furtively affecting rhythms and melodies of There Will Never Be Another You (which was first introduced in the 1942 musical film Iceland).

PLAYERS, INSTRUMENT:
Chris Whiteman — guitar
John Toomey — piano
Randall Pharr — bass
Aaron Binder — drums

www.chriswhitemanmusic.com