Jazz piano prodigy Eldar Djangirov released a new LP this year. He worked worked with Jimmy McBride and Raviv Markovitz on the modern jazz album, called “Rhapsodize.”
Djangirov made a name for himself at the early age of 9, and has been in the jazz world ever since.
“Literally, a rhapsody is to speak about something with great enthusiasm, which I feel encapsulates the entire album,” Djagirov told Downbeat. “I’m interested in many different aspects of music. I want to incorporate them in a way that’s genuine to me.”
Eldar Djangirov: child prodigy, from Kyrgyzstan to Kansas City
Djangirov first started playing piano at age three. At 9, he played at a Siberian jazz festival, where a jazz promoter discovered him and helped him launch his career.
Djangirov came by his talent honestly. Music ran in his family. His mother taught classical piano, while his father introduced him to jazz. Together, they both nourished his talent. In fact, they uprooted and immigrated to Kansas City to allow Djangirov’s jazz career to progress.
“Kansas City, at the time, had a great music scene,” Djangirov explains to NPR’s Nick Morrison. “There were a lot of different musicians, especially older ones who were so open to younger musicians.”
By age 12, he had already performed on CBS Sunday Morning and NPR’s Piano Jazz. Still in his early teens, Djangirov went on to gain further recognition when he won prizes at the 2001 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the 2002 Peter Nero Piano Competition.
Djangirov released his first two records, “Eldar” and “Handprints”, in his mid-teens under the label D&D. Afterwards, he signed with Sony, and since 2005 has released ten albums. Around this time, Djangirov also attended the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
In 2013, he returned to his alma mater for a special performance.. “Rare is the opportunity to witness the profoundly virtuosic and uncommon diversity of such a musician as Eldar…” says Tayloe Harding, the Dean of the USC School of Music. “Eldar’s talent and command are powerful and distinctive — hearing his performances is an unforgettable experience.”
A long career earning high praise
Djangirov’s prolific and virtuosic discography has received wide acclaim. “Maybe he made a pact with Lucifer to be the greatest pianist ever,” writes Jazz Times. Meanwhile Downbeat enthuses, “his command of his instrument is beyond staggering.”
In fact, he earned a Grammy nomination for his 2007 album “Re-Imagination,” and has played in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl with world-famous orchestras, such as the Russian National Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Other than concerts, Djagirov also offers lessons and releases new music regularly, both solo and collaborative. For example, he recently joined drummer Ludwig Afonso to release a live EP as part of “Key Madness Duo.”
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, concerts and gigs have fallen by the wayside. However, that hasn’t stopped Djagirov.
“It’s really been therapy,” he says about quarantine. “So much about the solitude is meditative and therapeutic; I think the [new] music will reflect that.”
Covers and originals by the Eldar Djangirov Trio
For his most recent project, “Rhapsodize,” Djangirov collaborated with drummer Jimmy McBride and bassist Raviv Marcowitz. It features 11 tracks, including both originals and also a few covers. These covers include Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Ann Ronell’s “Willow Weep for Me,” a jazz classic.
- Anthemic off of “Rhapsodize” by the Eldar Djangirov Trio
- “Rhapsodize” also features a cover of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia”
Markovitz, who worked with Djagirov on this record, says, “Eldar’s technical mastery is second to no one, but what’s blown me away is his multifaceted approach and ability to evoke emotion in so many different worlds.”
Reviews echo Markovitz’s sentiments of the album being dynamic and creative. For example, Jazz Weekly writes:
“Everything here exudes class and creativity. He’s risen above being a novelty and has embraced musical manhood as well.”
Listen to “Rhapsodize” on Spotify, or purchase it on Amazon or Apple Music.
