Jazz pianist Eldar Djangirov was born in 1987 in Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union. He was fourteen years old at the time of recording his debut album Eldar in 2001 and one of the youngest band leaders to ever record a jazz CD. Not a bad score for a musically gifted child prodigy who has been studying at the piano from the age of three. When he was nine years old, he was discovered by the American
… jazz fanatic Charles McWorther while performing at a jazz festival in Novosibirsk, Russia. He brought him to the United States in order to be able to continue his studies. Due to the fast tempo at which his notes pass by, Djangirov is often compared to Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum, but the crystal clear influences of Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett and Ahmad Jamal can also be heard in his playing. On his third CD Eldar, which strangely carries the same title as Djangirov's debut CD, Djangirov is accompanied by drummer Todd Strait and bassist John Pattitucci, two high-caliber musicians whose presence is absolutely necessary to accompany Djangirov's virtuoso playing. (AD)more