| Eldar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eldar E. Djangirov |
| Born | January 28, 1987 Kyrgyzstan |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Website | eldarjazz.com |
Eldar E. Djangirov, most commonly known only as Eldar, is a jazz pianist. He was born on January 28, 1987 in Kyrgyzstan (ex-Soviet Union) and then moved to Kansas, United States. He currently resides in New York City.
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He began playing the piano when he was three years old, learning from his Russian parents. The first thing he remembers learning was C Jam Blues. He later took classical lessons and was "discovered" at age 9 by the late New York City jazz aficionado Charles McWhorter, who saw him play at a festival in Siberia. The family moved to Kansas City, drawn there in large part by the city's jazz history. During his Kansas City years, even before reaching his teens, Eldar already started building a reputation as a true child prodigy, appearing on Marian McPartland's award-winning NPR show, Piano Jazz, when he was only 12 years old, being the youngest performer to ever appear on her show. Eldar attended Interlochen Center for the Arts in his young teenage years. Eldar attended St. Elizabeth's grade school and the Barstow School in Kansas City, Missouri. Eventually, the family moved to San Diego where he attended the Francis W. Parker School (San Diego), and then to the Los Angeles area where he attended University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music.
| Eldar Grammy History | |||||
| Year | Category | Genre | Title | Label | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Best Contemporary Jazz Album | Jazz | Re-imagination | Sony | Nominated |
Eldar has five albums (four released by Sony Classical), his debut album Handprints in 2003, Eldar in March 2005, his album Live at the Blue Note in May 2006, re-imagination in June 2007, Virtue in August 2009 and his latest album, Three Stories, in April 2011 on Sony Masterworks.
Release Date: March 22, 2005/Sony Classical Records
Release Date: May 30, 2006/Sony Classical Records
Release Date: June 5, 2007/Sony Classical Records
Release Date: August 25, 2009/Sony Classical Records
Release Date: April 4, 2011/Sony Masterworks
Eldar's playing style is characterized by prodigious technique and musicality. He plays mostly in the post bop style, but has other influences that predate the post bop sound.