Eldar Press Clips - October 22 report

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October 8, 2009

http:/ / www.ca liforniachronicle.com/ artic les/ yb/ 136208016

The Kansas City Star, Mo., Joe Klopus Co lumn: Eldar's Music

Shows New Fire

By Joe Klopus, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Oct. 8--Eldar's on the phone from Tokyo. He's a little jet-lagged, but he's excited to be playing in one of hisfavorite places -- it's his seventh trip to Japan. And he's excited because his two-day tour of Japan was justexpanded to 10 days.

After that, he's back to his home base in New York for a minute. Then he's off to another of his favorite places,Kansas City, where he spent his teenage years -- and where he plays the Folly Theater on Saturday with hisnew trio and celebrates the release of his new album, "Virtue." (It's his fourth album for Sony, and his sixthoverall.)

His band, his music, his ideas. Not bad for a pianist who's just 22 -- the one we knew as Eldar Djangirov, thekid from Kyrgyzstan with the amazingly fast fingers on the keyboard. These days, he's a soft-spoken,philosophical pianist and composer billed around the world simply as Eldar.

And he still has those fast fingers.

He talks about the band, with bassist Armando Gola and drummer Ludwig Afonso, in somewhat scientific

terms.

"The music is created from me. I wrote it all, but I wrote it knowing their approach," he says. "That changesthe chemistry. They can all apply their own logic to the music."

The band never talks about resolving musical problems in words, he says.

"Everybody knows what the music demands, no less, no more. We know what our roles are, and it just goes inthe direction it's supposed to go."

Eldar says he's writing new music for the trio all the time.

"Writing's a strong habit. If you do it every day, more comes out. ... The smallest idea will give you everythingto think about."

He speaks of his music-making as "research." The hours of practice, the hours of performing, the hours ofcomposing -- but also the time spent simply living life.

"It's being exposed to music, taking the concepts that are attractive to your personality, soaking them in. It's theresearch you put through the piano, to be able to execute your ideas with conviction and clarity. It's the ideasyou've grown from that you take and synthesize.
http://www.californiachronicle.com/http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/136208016http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/136208016http://www.californiachronicle.com/


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"It's also bringing together the band and rehearsing and playing together and learning each other's personalitieson and off the stand. Now I know how Ludwig and Armando play, so when I write I know more or less howit's going to sound. Of course, they're going to surprise me at every corner, too.

"... It's so many things. Life! I'm fortunate to be exposed to many things, through my travels. From living inNew York. From seeing many places. And relationships. And people."

The music he's playing now certainly isn't the Eldar sound we heard when he was a teen. It's still recognizableas him, but it has a new fire, of a man trying to make something that matters in these difficult times.

"Music has to reach for a certain goal and not mimic the ideas that were happening in the past," he says."That's when it loses relevance.

"You have to keep researching that set of goals. ... At the end of the day, the only control you have is evolvingyourself. That's what music stands for -- evolution."

Noteworthy

--The Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St., has multi-instrumentalist Loren Pickford's KC Jazz Conspiracy Six at 7tonight; it's free. Singer Ida McBeth performs at 8:30 p.m. Friday, and the Jazz Disciples play at 8:30 p.m.Saturday; cover is $10. Trombonist Jason Goudeau leads the Monday jam session at 7 p.m.; it's free.

--Highlights at Jardine's, 4536 Main St., include the Sons of Brasil at 8 tonight; singer-songwriter Julia Othmerat 6 and 8 p.m. Friday and at 7 p.m. Monday, for a $15 cover; singer Angela Hagenbach at 6 and 8 p.m.Saturday; a showcase for the University of Missouri-Kansas City jazz program from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday,followed by the New Red Onion Jazz Babies at 6:30 p.m.; the band HoraceScope, playing the music of HoraceSilver, at 7 p.m. Tuesday; and the PBT Trio plus singer Kathleen Holeman at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

--Kansas City composer Brad Cox received an award from the Tanne Foundation, which gave similar awardsto reed man Mark Southerland in 2006 and pianist Chris Clarke in 2003.

The awards "recognize prior outstanding achievement by individual artists who have demonstrated exceptionaltalent and creativity but have limited financial resources or have difficulty obtaining funding," the foundation'sWeb site says.

Winners are selected by the foundation's trustees, most of whom are artists themselves; there's no applicationprocess.

--This week's "12 O'Clock Jump" celebrates the music of pianist-composer Thelonious Monk.

Catch the live broadcast at midnight Saturday on KCUR-FM (89.3), or be in the live audience at the MutualMusicians Foundation, 1823 Highland Ave. Show up by 11:30 p.m. Saturday, and plan to stick around for the

late jam about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

------

Saturday Eldar and his trio perform at 8 p.m. at the Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. Tickets are $15 to $50; call816-474-4444. Eldar will participate in a "JazzTalk" question-and-answer session for ticketholders at 7 p.m.


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CLEVELAND SCENE

What to Do Tonight: EldarPOSTED BY MICHAEL GALLUCCI ON THU, SEP 24 , 2009 AT 10 :00 AM

Last month, 22-year-old pianist Eldar Djangirov released the invigorating Virtue, a follow-upto 2007s Grammy-nominated re-imagination. The new album augments Eldars classically

tinged, dexterous acoustic piano work with futuristic warping from an electric keyboard. Its

a heady explosion of sound. Eldars playing often recalls Brad Mehldaus, especially on

ballads like Insensitive, Iris and Lullaby Fantazia. His tone is deep and full, massed into

atomic groupings of colliding piano flurries. He plays with time and, like Mehldau, strikes the

count in such a way that he stretches it, unleashing several handfuls of notes that dont rushthe music, but winds it down. His compositions lace intricate, classically written passages

with equally complex, if more open, improvised choruses. Armondo Golas electric bass

occasionally supplies some funky gasps of air to the new record, but he also proves the

equal of Eldars intensity, motoring the music (along with Ludwig Afonsos never-ceasing,

bone-kicking drum attack) into faster, reckless and more thrillingly dangerous modes of

operation. The trio plays at 8 tonight at Nighttown (12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Hts.,

216.795.0550, nighttowncleveland.com). Tickets: $20. Matt Marshall


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October 14, 2009

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/music/eldar/Content?oid=1211847

EldarVirtue

By Rachel Swan

Eldar plays Oakland Yoshi's (510 Embarcadero) Oct. 14-15. 8 & 10 p.m., $18.Yoshis.com

In terms of technique and velocity, 22-year-old Eldar Djangirov outstrips just about every other

pianist in the world. He's a boy-wonder, educated by staunch Russian piano teachers and turned

onto jazz by way of Oscar Peterson. Roughly a decade into his career, Eldar is known for a super-

human tendency to play everything as fast as possible. He's aggressive and clean, tackling hardmelodies at prestissimo tempos without ever bobbling a phrase. Thus, his pieces often sound

virtuosic or like practice exercises, depending on your point of view. Eldar's 2007 release Re-

Imagination kicked off with an absolutely gripping tune called "I Remember When," a series of fast,

dense arpeggios locked into a boring harmonic structure. It showed exactly why he has garnered so

much attention, and why critics accuse him of not playing jazz.

This year'sVirtuemarks a new direction. With ten original tunes (eight credited to Eldar) and one

standard, it's a lot more substantive than his previous material. He doesn't quite swing, but he finally

finds value in the space between notes. Moreover, his rhythms and harmonies are a lot more

complex than before. On "Insensitive," Eldar gives his left hand a polyrhythmic feel, while playing

syncopated lines with his right hand. His harmonies go all the way classical in "Lullaby Fantazia,"

another piece made hip by virtue of its rhythmic ideas and by drummer Ludwig Afonso, who

evidently has enough sensitivity to follow the bandleader's whims. The effect is beautiful and

disorienting. Guest saxophonists Joshua Redman and Felipe Lamoglia giveVirtue a modern edge, as

does Nicholas Payton, who adds a hefty trumpet solo on "Blackjack." Eldar is still trying to find

mooring. But his music got a lot more interesting in the process. (Sony)
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JAZZ ROCHESTER

September 06, 2009

Exodus to Jazz series brings the dynamic Eldar Djangirov to Rochester

Eldar, the talented (and so damn young) pianist who has made popular appearances hereat the Rochester International Jazz Festival in past years will be coming to town onFriday, September 25th, when The Eldar Djangirov Trio kicks off the Fall series ofExodus to Jazz gigs, brought to you by Jose DaCosta. Leader-pianist Eldar Djangirovcomes here with bassist Armando Gola and drummer Ludwig Afonso, the trio willperform two shows 8:00 and 10:00 pm in the Radisson Riverside Hotels Frontier Hall.Eldar is a great addition to the list of talented pianists that DaCosta has brought to theETJ stage over the years. He returns to Rochester to promote his recently released CDentitled Virtue.

Known for keyboard pyrotechnics and his complete immersion in the bebop tradition,Eldar has established himself as a contemporary jazz pianist, receiving accolades frommany legendary jazz masters (including Dr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, DaveBrubeck, Michael Brecker, Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock). The PhiladelphiaInquirer noted that Eldar is ...a musician with the aesthetic maturity of a well-traveledjazz veteranfrom the torrential, two-handed cascades of Oscar Peterson to the lush,rarefied harmonic language of Herbie Hancock ... startling technical command andimprobable improvisational flair...." Did I mention that he is just 22 years old?


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The Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside is located at 120 East Main St., Rochester NewYork, 14604. Tickets (reserved seating - $25; general admission - $20) are availablethrough TicketWeb.com (search for Eldar Djangirov or Exodus To Jazz). General

admission tickets can be purchased for $20 at the door on the night of the show; studenttickets are $ 10.00 with a current ID. The Ticketing / Will Call desk will open at 7:00 PMon show night. For more information visit ExodusToJazz.com after September 8th, orcall (585) 733-7685.


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October 14, 2009

http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/music/article_a47c88cc-86dc-5df7-8827-7ef55ce40af0.html

Former local returns home

JIM TRAGESER - [email protected]

Pianist Eldar Djangirov, center, performs in San Diego with his fellow trio members, bassist ArmandoGola, left, and drummer Ludwig Afonso. (Courtesy photo)

The guy's lived all over the world ---- Kyrgyzstan, Kansas City, Mo., Los Angeles, New York City.

But for jazz pianist Eldar Djangirov (playing Oct. 17 with his trio at Anthology), coming to San Diego isprobably as close to homecoming as it gets. He spent two years here, attending Francis Parker School, aperforming arts magnet school. And his parents still live in the same house in Rancho Bernardo (and willbe in the crowd Oct. 17).

While family and memories are obviously important ties to the area, Eldar (he performs and records underhis first name only) said the weather is also something he misses about San Diego.

"I've been missing it for a few years now!" he said by phone Oct. 13 from his New York City home.

"Living in New York City, you go through four seasons and you get the most extreme of the four seasons.It's getting colder now."

His latest CD, "Virtue" ---- his ninth ---- has him hopping.

"I've been traveling a lot, especially with the new record release ---- it's been quite intense. ... It's beenpretty tremendous traveling, but I've been enjoying it.
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"I just got back from Tokyo yesterday. I played two shows with my band earlier in the month, then(bassist) Ron Carter asked me to stay."

Eldar said "Virtue" is the album he's most proud of so far, and said it represents the pinnacle of his careerto date. (It might be pointed out, however, that's he's only 22.)

"I think this release marks a certain chapter that in many ways I've most proud of."

He said he managed to accomplish several things he felt that he hadn't done with previous recordings, atleast not to the level he wanted: "The presentation of the music; the composition of the music. The groupchemistry ---- putting this band together, writing the music specifically for these musicians, knowing theirlogic. The language we developed as a band after I wrote the material."

To get this album the way he wanted it, Eldar said he took a different approach.

"The preparation for this record took two years of conscious effort. ... When you want to push yourself,when you want to challenge yourself, when you want to create a langauge, it takes research.

"That's why I consider this a culmination."

Growing up in Kyrgyzstan, Eldar said, he was turned on to music by his parents.

"My dad has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, so he would travel all the time for different projects.What he did was collect jazz records over a period of three decades.

"One of the things I remember capturing my ear was listening to Oscar Peterson. That was the firstintroduction, consciously, where I said to myself, 'I really enjoy this.'"

"When I started playing, my mother was the typical Russian piano teacher in many ways ---- but she was

very supportive, and gave me a solid foundation."

Eldar said his mother had to prompt him, like most kids, to practice when he began playing at age 5. Butas he got older, he began to love playing more and more.

"I can't say that at 5 years old that I knew this is what I wanted to do. It was so gradual. It was neverwhether I wanted to play or not play; it was something ... that decision was almost made for me."

Eldar

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17

Where: Anthology, 1337 India St., San Diego

Tickets: $23

Info: 619-595-0300 or anthologysd.com

Web: eldarjazz.com
http://anthologysd.com/http://eldarjazz.com/http://eldarjazz.com/http://anthologysd.com/


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P A L M B E A C H A R T S

W E D N E S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 0 9

ArtsPreview 2009-10: The season in jazz

Editor's note: This is one in a series of 10 stories previewing the Palm BeachCounty and regional arts season for 2009-10.

By Bill Meredith

As is often the case, the South Florida jazz season for 2009-2010 involves morequality than quantity. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the coming seasoneven includes a few pleasant surprises.

Like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, one of New Orleans' leading jazz horn units,playing at one of South Florida's top rock clubs. The veteran band makes a stopon itsMy Feet Can't Fail Me Now 25th anniversary concert tour by taking thestage at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 17 (8 p.m., $14.99).

Grammy-winning, Cuba-born trumpeter Arturo Sandoval is another brassmaster, and he presents his softer side inA Time for Love, a collection of balladsfrom a forthcoming release on Concord Records. As part of the University of

Miami Frost School of Music's Festival Miami 2009, Sandoval performs Oct. 17 atMaurice Gusman Concert Hall in Miami (8 p.m., $30-50).

Bassist and University of Miami instructor Chuck Bergeron toured in historic bigbands led by Buddy Rich and Woody Herman. Now he leads his own big band,the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, which also features many other South Floridajazz educators. On Nov. 11, in a Gold Coast Jazz presentation, they offer materialby Bergeron's former bandleaders and beyond inJazz Legends of Yesterday,Today and Tomorrow at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts' AmaturoTheater in Fort Lauderdale (7:45 p.m., $35-40).

Veteran saxophonist Tom Scott has had a long and successful career as both abandleader and session recording musician -- with 29 solo albums, threeGrammy Awards and more than 450 total recordings. He kicks off the 10thanniversary season for the Jazz Arts Music Society (JAMS) of Palm Beach onNov. 16 by taking the stage at the Harriet Himmel Theater, located withinCityPlace in West Palm Beach (8 p.m., $35).

There are gifted singers and gifted pianists, but seldom do the two meet. ElianeElias is an exceptional exception. The Brazilian jazz double-threat plays tracksfrom her new CD,Bossa Nova Stories, with her quartet in the South Florida Jazzorganization's 18th anniversary concert Nov. 21 at the Miniaci Performing Arts


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Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University in Davie (8 p.m., $40-125).

Dave Grusin is a Grammy- and Academy Award-winning keyboardist andcomposer, and he's joined by guests Jon Secada, Patti Austin, Gary Burton,Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres and Sammy Figueroa forJazz Roots: An EveningWith Dave Grusin. The evening will include Grusin's movie themes, and a rareperformance of his contemporary jazz rendition ofWest Side Story, on Dec. 4 atKnight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts inMiami (8 p.m., $25-125).

Vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway may be best-known for her Tony-nominated rolein the hit Broadway musicalSwing!, but she's also performed with trumpeterWynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and has an extensive

recording catalog leading up to her latest CD,At Last. She appears on Jan. 2 atthe Lyric Theatre in Stuart (8 p.m., $45).

The exuberant playing of pianist Cyrus Chestnut draws from influences rangingfrom the rhythmic Fats Waller to the unorthodox Thelonious Monk. In his GoldCoast Jazz performance ofJazzin' Elvis, Chestnut and his trio perform a varietyof jazz standards, mixed with Elvis Presley hits, on Jan. 13 at the Broward Center(7:45 p.m., $35-40).

The concert that commemorates JAMS' actual birthday features the quintet ledby pianist John Colianni ,whose body of work includes being a part of bands led

by Lionel Hampton and Mel Torm. Colianni's brand of high-energy jazz piano isdisplayed on his quintet's latest CD,Johnny Chops. On Jan. 26, that energy willfill the Harriet Himmel Theater (8 p.m., $35).

Trumpeter Chris Botti is a rarity in modern music -- a gifted jazz player who'sable to fill large concert halls. Before his latest solo outing, Chris Botti in Boston,the trumpeter played fusion with drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Tony Levin andguitarist David Torn and also worked with pop singer/songwriters Joni Mitchell,Sting, and Paul Simon. Botti appears on Jan. 28 at the Kravis Center for thePerforming Arts' Dreyfoos Hall in West Palm Beach (8 p.m., $25-100).

One of jazz/fusion's godfather guitarists, Larry Coryell ,and one of the leadingmodern Hammond organists, Joey DeFrancesco, unite in the Larry Coryell-JoeyDeFrancesco Trio. Having already appeared with drummers from veteran fusionstar Alphonse Mouzon to DeFrancesco's youthful bandmate Byron Landham, thesix-string master and the grinding keyboardist star in a South Florida Jazzpresentation on Feb. 13 at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center (8 p.m., $35).

Esperanza Spalding boasts a surprising combination of talents by being avocalist, bassist and bandleader -- and all at the tender age of 23. Raised in amulticultural household in Portland, Ore., she sings in English, Spanish andPortugese, and has already worked with jazz icons Pat Metheny, Stanley Clarke


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and Joe Lovano. She appears Feb. 20 at the Duncan Theatre at Palm BeachCommunity College in Lake Worth (8 p.m., $27).

JAMS' official anniversary concert features a quartet co-led by trumpeter MarvinStamm and pianist Bill Mays. The two distinguished traditional jazz veterans arejoined by bassist Richard Drexler and drummer Marty Morrell on Feb. 23 at theHarriet Himmel Theater (8 p.m., $35).

Twenty-two-year-old pianist Eldar surprises with his stunning recent release,Virtue. Born Eldar Djangirov in Kyrgyzstan, the pianist has recorded since hisearly teens, but raises his art to a new level on the new CD. He's joined by thedisc's rhythm section, bassist Armando Gola and drummer Ludwig Afonso, onMarch 11 at Festival of the Arts Boca in Boca Raton (8:30 p.m., $25-50.)

As the leading vibraphonist and educator of his era, six-time Grammy winnerGary Burton has a great ear for youthful jazz talent. His Next Generation Bandfeatures rising young musicians in guitarist Julian Lage, pianist VadimNeselovskyi, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer James Williams, and thequintet plays a South Florida Jazz concert on March 13 at the Miniaci PerformingArts Center (8 p.m., $35).

Born in Russia and already a huge success in Canada, vocalist Sophie Milman islikewise growing on American audiences. Her new release, Take Love Easy,follows the 2007 CDMake Someone Happy, which won a Juno Award (theCanadian equivalent of a Grammy). At age 26, Milman's husky voice, looks and

jazz sensibilities might result in stardom in the United States in the near future.She appears on March 17 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts' RinkerPlayhouse (7 p.m., $38).

The Palm Beach Pops presentsBig Bands and All That Jazz!, which re-createsthe music of the great swing orchestras with guest vocalists Lynn Roberts and theSwing Set Singers on April 2-3 at the Kravis Center's Dreyfoos Hall (8 p.m., $29-89), April 5-7 at Carol & Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium at FloridaAtlantic University in Boca Raton (8 p.m., $29-69), and April 8 at the EisseyCampus Theatre at Palm Beach Community College in Palm Beach Gardens (8p.m., $75-85).

Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and his Afreecanos Quartet, play what the band's nameimplies -- an eclectic blend of African and Cuban music with some free jazzthrown in. The three-time Grammy nominee plays tunes from his latest CD,TalesFrom the Earth, during a South Florida Jazz stop on April 10 at the MiniaciPerforming Arts Center (8 p.m., $35).

Four of South Florida's leading female jazz vocalists -- Brenda Alford, Rose Max,Wendy Pedersen and Nicole Yarling -- team with a top area jazz ensemble inSouth Florida Jazz Divas & The Gold Coast Jazz Society Band, led bysaxophonist Eric Allison, on April 14 at the Amaturo Theater (7:45 p.m., $35-40).


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Jazz Roots: Piano Latino presents the fascinating trio of New York City-bornsalsa master Eddie Palmieri, Dominican Grammy winner Michel Camilo, and 23-

year-old Cuban sensation Alfredo Rodriguez, a discovery of Quincy Jones, onMarch 16 at Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center (8 p.m., $25-125).

Bill Meredith is a freelance writer in South Florida who has written extensivelyon jazz for publications such as Jazziz andJazz Times.


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Eldar DjangirovVirtue(Sony Masterworks)

US release date: 25 August 2009

UK release date: 24 August 2009

By Will Layman

In jazz, first-name status is generally earned the long and hard way. There can be

only one Miles or Dizzy, but even more common first namesLouis, Oscar, Billie,Sarahcan be infused with singular meaning because decades of astonishmentdemand it.

What to make, then, of Eldar, the one-name handle of a young pianist (EldarDjangirov) who is not yet 23? His label, Sony Masterworks, would certainly prefer

that he have more in common with Madonna Ciccone than with Art Tatum, outfittingand coiffing him for his cover with as much cool as he can hold. But no matter the

promotional weight of Sony, this kiddiscovered at nine when playing in Siberia,then a prodigy sensation at 12 after moving to the United Statesis still a jazz

pianist. Simply put, no matter how tricky his surname is to pronounce, he aint

Eldar yet.

What he is: a technical wiz, a prodigious melodist, a compelling improviser. Also,sometimes a show-off, often an abuser of a synthesizer, sometimes asentimentalist. But Virtue, his eighth (!) recording, is largely winning and warm.

Djangirov may now be a veteran of the scene, but he still approaches his music with

the Im-Going-To-Blow-You-Away! attitude of a young man. As a result, the bulk ofVirtue sets about doing exactly that.

His trio, which is the backbone of the record, relishes the kind of tricky business that

Chick Corea has always been so good at, and the slick-as-a-trick drumming andelectric bass put Djangirov squarely under the shadow of the great JazzScientologist. Like Corea, Djangirov spins somewhat baroque jazz improvisations

that crackle as much as any electric guitar. When he is running the show, the youngman is flat our fun to listen to. Fully on its own, the trio entertains.


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But on Virtue there is more, for better or worse. The guest saxophonists mostlywork out well. On the opener, Exposition, Djangirov enlists Joshua Redman, who

can spar with the pianist like a champ, keep the complex tune feeling limber and

hot. Its probably gilding the lily, then, that Djangirov tosses in some electric pianounder Redmans solo, then follows the reprise of the melody with a ripping and echo-effected synthesizer solo. A similar pattern prevails on Blues Sketch in Clave, but

with Felipe Lamoglia on tenor sax. The tune gets your heart rate up without thedigital signal, so why bust out a blast of the 70s?

It makes more sense, perhaps, that Djangirov whips out the synth on The Exorcist,as he has no woodwind foil and wants to get another color. When the digi-horn

enters the tune, it jiggers up and down the scales with a near-classical rigor,

sounding less human (or course) than Djangirovs piano. The problem, perhaps, isthat it reminds us that the young pianists default tendency is to clutter his solos with

this kind of virtuosic pattern-making. It happens again on Daily Living, where a

charming and shaded composition is suddenly overrun by a soaring synth solo thatrequires the trio to bash away in accompaniment. Its hard to hear these tunes andnot feel that sticking with the triocapable of more than enough fancy footwork onits ownwould have been preferable.

When Djangirov does that, the results get deeper into some real expression. Iris is

a ballad, and it plays to Djangirovs strengths by incorporating the shape of a

classical melody with the supple feeling of jazz. Nearly right away, electric bassistArmando Gola seeps through the melody to add delicate lines like an undated SteveSwallow, and the closing of the piece is turned over to delicate solo piano. Lullaby

Fantazia sets up an succession of flowing harmonies that are expressed in both

highly structured terms and as an impressionistic set of waves. There is nothing dullor insufficiently colorful about this synth-less trio, and some of the best moments on

the recording are on this tune, when the pianist is deliberately negotiating the puzzleof his own tuneand doing it with honest invention.

The most exciting track here is surely Blackjack, with Lamoglia and trumpeterNicholas Peyton. Djangirov punches out a gospel jazz groove that the horn match ina snapping attack that is contrasted with a flowing melodic line in the bridge. The

leader properly solos first, but he gives most impressive setting to Peyton, who solosagainst a spare but funky background. When the melody returns, however, there isthat synth again, and damn if it doesnt insist on trading phrases at the end with

Peyton. Its enough to get you to throw up your arms. Djangirov is in love with thatsynth. A young mans prerogative, perhaps, but still lamentable.

Curiously, Djangirov rarely integrates his digital tool into the early part of his tunesrather, he chooses to bring in the synth at the end of these tunes as a kind of

ambush. The bulk of the music here, however, sounds simply terrific on its own.Fans of straight-ahead music will find in Djangirov a brilliant new technician, but they

wont like the cold, unnecessary, and strident synthesizer. But music fans who

choose to look beyond the straight-ahead will not find a pianist who is generallychallenging the post-bop status quo. This is the paradox ofVirtue: it is pretty much

conventional in all the ways that matter even though it was made by a very very

young artist.

Given the time and space to develop, Eldar Djangirov is certain to create more andmore daring musicmusic that may ultimately find a way to make his synthesizer


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relevant and exciting. In the meantime, Virtue is a fun and zinging listen, even if itis only momentarily brilliant.

RATING:

1 October 2009


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JAZZ: Eldar Djangirov Trio (9/25)By Ron Netsky on September 23, 2009

Eldar Djangirov Trio plays Friday, September 25, 8 & 10 p.m., at Radisson Hotel Riverside.

Judging by his wonderful new album, "Virtue," Eldar Djangirov has moved well past the boy-wonder stage

and plunged into a more mature and inventive period of musical expression. He still has the technical

prowess of a virtuoso, but his compositions and playing now vividly reflect the interactions - musical and

otherwise - of a young man and the complex world he continues to discover. His harmonies are more daring

and his solos turn corners that others dare not approach. He'll open Exodus to Jazz's fall season with a

bang.

Eldar Djangirov Trio plays Friday, September 25, 8 & 10 p.m., at Radisson Hotel Riverside, 120 E Main St.

$10-$25. 733-7685, exodustojazz.com.


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Making noise about jazz

Marsalis and other musicians are reaching out to young listeners

By George Varga

POP MUSIC CRITIC

2:00 a.m. September 27, 2009

Trumpeters Wynton Marsalis, 47 (left),

and Sean Jones, 31 (right), play here Tuesday. (Clay McBride) -

Former San Diego piano phenom Eldar, 22, returns here for an Oct. 17 gig at Anthology. "A lot of kids don't have

the disposable income to get into jazz clubs," he says. (Clay McBride)

Getting jazzed in San Diego

San Diego's jazz scene isn't as large as those in Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York. But fans herewho want to experience the music live have a variety of options, from venues with jazz just one or a fewnights a week or per month to those with jazz daily. Most are all-ages venues. Several have low or, in somecases, no cover charge or offer discounted prices for students.

Anthology, 1337 India Street, Little Italy; (619) 595-0300; anthologysd.com.

Croce's Jazz Bar, 802 Fifth Ave., downtown; (619) 233-4355; croces.com.


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Dizzy's, 200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120, downtown; (858) 270-7467

La Jolla Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla; (858) 454-5872; ljathenaeum.org

The Loft at UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla; (858) 534-8497; theloft.ucsd.edu

The Onyx Room, 852 5th Ave, downtown; (619) 235-6699; onyxroom.com

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., Pacific Beach; (858) 794-9044; myspace.com/sdjazzmg

DETAILS

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

When: Tuesday, 7 and 9 p.m.

Where: Mandeville Auditorium, UCSD, La Jolla

Tickets: $36 and $76 (UCSD student tickets are half-price; tickets for seniors are discounted 15 percent)

Phone: (858) 534-TIXS or (800) 745-3000

Online: ticketmaster.com

Jazz has always relied on fresh, new ideas and bold, young artists to innovate and take the music forward.But is jazz itself attracting young, new audiences here and nationally? Or is the music long hailed asAmerica's greatest artistic contribution to the world struggling to draw a new generation of listeners?

Without question, a lot more young people listen to jazz now than 30 years ago, said Pulitzer Prize-winningtrumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, who plays two concerts Tuesday at UCSD's MandevilleAuditorium with his acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. There's much more interest, from anational standpoint. The first line of our mission statement is to grow and inspire audiences for jazz.

Alas, as a result of slow ticket sales, Marsalis' Tuesday performance had to be moved from downtown's2,252-seat Copley Symphony Hall to UCSD's 755-seat Mandeville Auditorium, where he and his group willnow do two concerts in place of the Copley date.

The trumpeter and his big band performed here last year at downtown's Anthology, the upscale, 250-seatdinner club that features major national jazz talent and celebrated its second anniversary in June. In April,Tango Del Rey in Pacific Beach began presenting mostly local artists and jam sessions, under the auspicesof the nonprofit San Diego Jazz Musicians Guild.

Both are all-ages venues. So is Dizzy's downtown and La Jolla's Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, whichhas presented top jazz talent at various venues for 20 years.

But the results of a controversial National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) survey, which were released lastmonth, show a decline in attendance at jazz concerts over the past six years.

According to the NEA's Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 10.8 percent of adult Americans attendedat least one jazz concert in 2002, but only 7.8 percent did so last year. The median age of adults attendingjazz concerts went up, from 29 in 1982 and 42 in 2002, to 46 last year. The survey also indicates a similardecline in attendance for classical music, opera, ballet and nonmusical plays.

The audience for classical music has dwindled, but that's not an argument against the music, saidMarsalis, 47, who has won Grammy Awards for both his jazz and classical recordings. When I see surveys


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that people have stopped reading, does that mean reading is no longer important? Education is the mainthing.

Some music industry veterans have reacted to the NEA survey's results as proof that jazz is in direcommercial straits. Others dismiss the results as contradictory to broad anecdotal evidence and blame thesurvey's murky wording and failure to define jazz, a diverse music that has long transcended easycategorization.

If George Gershwin couldn't define jazz, I don't think the NEA can, said acclaimed cuting-edge musicianGeorge Lewis, 57, a former University of California San Diego professor who heads the Center for JazzStudies at Columbia University.

In the 1960s, people were talking about how jazz needed to reach the youth. Well, jazz has had a youthstrategy going for as long as I can remember. In Europe, they treat jazz like health care you have to haveit. That's not the case here.

For more than 50 years, American jazz artists have been accorded greater respect and drawn larger and

more appreciative audiences abroad than here in their homeland. Yet, at a time when the nationalrecession in this country is battering all of the arts, there is evidence jazz is making inroads with youngerlisteners. Witness the debut of a well-attended jazz stage at last year's Bonnaroo rock festival and thepopularity of jazz trios like The Bad Plus and Medeski, Martin & Wood on the jam-band circuit.

Then there's Rhode Island's Newport Jazz Festival, which celebrated its 55th anniversary last month. Thelandmark event was cause for concern, because festival founder George Wein's longtime corporatesponsor, JVC, pulled out following a financial crisis at Festival Network, the company that bought Wein'sFestival Productions in 2007.

Wein obtained a new sponsorship deal with CareFusion, a medical technology company. And the 2009Newport festival drew a record number of young fans, thanks to a mix of legends like pianist Dave Brubeck,88, and such rising stars as bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding, 24. Spalding also played Sept. 13 here atthe Birch North Park Theater, a show sponsored by San Diego radio station KSDS 88.3.

We had people in their 20s and 30s, and some older fans, at Newport. The feeling of togetherness theaudience had is something I've not experienced before in the festival's 55 years, Wein, 83, said from hisNew York home.

I made tickets available to students for $15. Kids here and in San Diego would love to go to jazz concerts,but they can't afford $50 or $60 tickets. You have to figure out how to reach out to them with lower pricesand by using all the major social networking Web sites.

Attracting young people to jazz is also a major quest for former San Diego jazz piano prodigy Eldar, whoplays Oct. 17 with his trio at Anthology in support of his fourth album for Sony.

Showcasing this music for young people is a topic I think about every day of my life, Eldar, 22, said from a

recent concert stop in Indianapolis.

There are so many younger people in jazz doing amazing things, so the music is very healthy. Thechallenge is exposure, which is the case with any music that's an art form, not a commodity. It's a funnytime, because so much of pop culture has been dumbed down and the youth is the trick to make these artforms thrive. The Internet won't make or break jazz, but I use it as often as I can to make my music availablefree for people to hear.

Marsalis is also embracing the Internet to reach new listeners. He agrees with Eldar that exposure is key.

My oldest sons, who are 21 and 19, were resistant to anything cultural, not just jazz, but reading and goingto museums, Marsalis said.


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Over time, they got into it. But I never tried to keep them from the type of stuff they did like. You can't doanything about that, although you wish you could. A lot of what they listened to made me laugh, because itwas so stupid. But it's their culture and you can't make them not be a part of their culture. I just tried topresent them with an alternative and let them choose.

That, in a manner, is what Martin Wollenson is doing.

Since 2004, he has been director of UCSD's University Events office and artistic director for ArtPower! which is presenting Marsalis' Tuesday concert.

Tuesday's Marsalis performance opens UCSD's 2009-10 ArtPower! season of music, dance and film. It alsokicks off the first jazz series in the history of ArtPower! The series has booked such diverse artists asBrazilian percussionist and singer Cyro Baptista and violinist-singer Jenny Scheinman, who perform at theintimate Loft at UCSD on Oct. 28 and Dec. 3, respectively.

San Diego is a tough nut to crack for jazz. Apart from Wynton, I purposely chose not to do larger scale jazzartists in our series, because I don't think this community can support it, Wollenson, 47, said.

It's the context or delivery of the music that has been problematic. In terms of classical music, young peopledon't want to get dressed up and go into fancy concert halls or, for jazz, into expensive clubs that are 21-and-up. There also needs to be more engagement between the audience and artists, on stage and off.

In recent years, ArtPower! has exceeded attendance expectations for contemporary classical music anddance artists who are not well known here. Wollenson now aims to do the same with jazz. He has one keyadvantage: A pay-as-you-can policy for students.

I didn't want ticket prices to be a barrier to students exploring and discovering something new, he said. Weare dealing with primarily young audiences who aren't growing up with a lot of arts and music education.What's clear to me is that UCSD students, and people in general, are interested in soaking up newexperiences. For some of them, jazz will become part of a lifelong obsession.

Union-Tribune

George Varga: ;


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This Week's Earshot Jazz PicksMarc Seales, Thomas Marriott, and a kid named Eldar.By Mark D. Fefer

Published on October 20, 2009 at 9:06pm

Marc Seales Groups

This is Earshot's week for pianists, starting with Seales, Seattle's dean of jazz keys. The UW

prof has been taking care of business, creatively speaking, for decades, without much fuss

and bother and with a lot of thoughtfulness and taste. He deservedly gets a two-night

showcase, fronting two different bandsthe first on a kind of fusion trip, the second

playing standards. Tula's, 8:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 21Thurs., Oct. 22.

Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet

The always-dynamic Sosa is Cuban-born and pan-African in mindset. His band, featuring

players from the U.S., Mozambique, and Senegal, draws a wild range of folk and modern

motifs into something ecstatic and unpredictable. The Triple Door, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Wed.,

Oct. 21.

Matthew Shipp & Joe Morris

Shipp's playing is like some kind of inverted, dark-matter version of whatever you think a

jazz pianist is going to sound like. The shape of the lines, the concept of melody, follows a

strange, original logic that is a tonic for so much else that deadens the ears. He plays duo

here with Morris, another celebrated avant-gardist. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 8 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 22.

Myra Melford Be Bread

After a trio performance last week, Melford returns with a larger group of brilliant players

known for negotiating all terrains of sophisticated, emotionally charged improvisation,

including bassist Stomu Takeishi and guitarist Brandon Ross (both veterans ofHenry

Threadgill's bands). A new, not-yet-released Be Bread recording shows some impassioned


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group energy, fragile song forms, and powerful dexterity. Seattle Art Museum, 8 p.m. Fri.,

Oct. 23.

Thomas Marriott

The bright Seattle trumpeter is a regular at Tula's and always worth hearingbut especially

tonight, backed up by Travis Shook (one of the most gifted pianists ever to come out of the

Northwest), who took New York by storm in the early '90s, crashed, and has lately

resurfaced. The band will play the collected works of: Thomas Marriott. Tula's, 8:30 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 25.

Eldar Trio

I'm not sure anyone at Earshot has the kind of major-label backing that supports this 22-

year-old Kyrgyz-American phenom, signed to Sony five years ago. The public loves

prodigies, but Eldar Djangirov is way beyond that. If you have even a passing interest in

piano, you have to check out his astounding technical facilitywhich fortunately is put in

the service of some impressive music-making. Like the Bad Plus, the trio falls outside any

of jazz's usual boundaries. Tula's, 8:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 26Tues., Oct. 27.


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Eldar Press Clips - October 22 report

Documents

Transcript of Eldar Press Clips - October 22 report