Eldar Djangirov: TDWR

Eldar Djangirov played at Carnegie Hall for the Oscar Peterson tribute in early June, a chance, as he says, to show his high esteem of Peterson's music ( New York Times ). Besides jazz he listens to a wide range of musics "from classical pianists Evgeny Kissin and Vladimir Horowitz to Radiohead and Kanye West". The 20 year old pianist had moved to New York in January. Eldar was born in Russia, started playing the piano at 3, and received his first formal lessons at 5. He loved jazz and started to change the chords in the middle of a Mozart piece. At 9 he was heard by a New York based jazz patron who arranged a scholarship for him in Michigan. In 1998 his family settled near Kansas City; one year later he was the youngest musician ever featured on Marian McPartland's radio show "Piano Jazz". His Sony debut in 2005 showed him to be a master technician now acknowledging also the influences of Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk.