ELDAR TRIO
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:00 PM

Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center
3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
(Map and Directions)

Tickets: 877.311.SHOW (Toll-free) or purchase HERE 

Few wear the prodigy/virtuoso label better than Eldar Djangirov, the 21-year-old pianistic phenomenon. Born in Bishkek, Kyrgystan, a former Soviet republic, Eldar began his studies at the age of three and it was quickly apparent that this child had a special talent. At nine he performed at a jazz festival in Novosibirsk, Siberia, impressing an American patron who then obtained consecutive summer scholarships for him at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Meanwhile, the family decided to immigrate to Kansas City, Missouri, which they recognized as a historical center for jazz.

Some have called him the Tiger Woods of jazz piano. Since immigrating to America at 12, Eldar has dazzled fans and critics with his extraordinary technique drawn from Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. He appeared on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz that same year and then Billy Taylor did a feature on him on the CBS Sunday Morning show. Not a bad start for a kid.

With three acclaimed CDs under his own name on Sony with guest artists like Michael Brecker and Chris Botti, Eldar is now a major artist. Having discovered the “inner Eldar” he is a truly brilliant performer who no longer feels the need to overplay, a criticism of his teenage years. Along with the obvious influences above, Eldar cites as heroes Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea Brad Mehldau, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Entering the eclectic mix are classical pianists, Evgeny Kissin and Arcadi Volodos, plus Bjork, Sting and Radiohead.

Eldar’s trio has players familiar to South Florida audiences. Bassist Armando Gola also plays with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Arturo Sandoval. Cuban-born drummer Ludwig Afonso studied at University of Miami and played with Ira Sullivan, Othello Molineaux, and Sammy Figueroa before leaving for New York and a stint with Spyro Gyra. Both players are in great demand.