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Eldar: Complex Improvisation

Eldar.
Eldar.

Born in the Soviet Union only 20 years ago, jazz pianist Eldar Djangirov is captivating audiences worldwide with his remarkable talent at the piano.

A former prodigy who's been playing since the age of 3, Eldar was discovered by jazz patron Charles McWhorter at a Siberian jazz festival 11 years ago. McWhorter secured money for Eldar to attend a prestigious music camp in Michigan, and Eldar and his family subsequently moved to the U.S. in 1998, settling in Kansas City because of its reputation as a haven for jazz.

Continuing to develop quickly, Eldar became the youngest performer to play on NPR's Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland (at age 12), and his career hasn't lost any momentum. Having been schooled in piano improvisation at USC's Thorton School of Music, Eldar has released three albums on Sony Classical. Drawing from jazz legends such as Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum and Chick Corea, Eldar's style is marked by his incredibly precise technique and the complexity of his improvisation. His latest release, Re-Imagination, focuses on his own compositions while still incorporating his re-interpretation of two jazz standards.

Copyright 2007 XPN

David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.