Eldar Djangirov TrioEldar Djangirov TrioEldar Djanigirov, piano; Gerald Spaits, bass; Todd Strait, drums.
Eldar Djanigirov continues his remarkable development; now at sixteen years old he flashes a bold and exciting "Caravan" as his opening number. Quicksilver fingers and inspirational flair point to his growing maturity; add to this the usual solid and sensitive backing of Gerald Spaits on bass and Todd Strait on drums and we are on our way. Going for the hard hitters, he works his way through Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Benny Carter, Billy Taylor, Bill Evans, Miles Davis and Chick Corea; the young man is digging deep. He can strike the keyboard firmly, but there is an undeniable lightness of touch within, a sure-handed confidence in where he is going personally. "Body & Soul", shows his touch with a ballad, and his own piece, "Handprints" salutes both Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea with a fast-moving minor intensity. A gently swinging Benny Carter piece, "When Lights Are Low", is simply nuanced with feeling. A sense of sadness is conveyed through "We Will Meet Again", by Bill Evans, then a thoughtful piece of his own, "Perplexity"; finally finishing with Chick Corea's "Matrix". Eldar sweeps us through a creative adventure; his thirst for further development is felt, almost a hunger; a feeling of edginess lies more in the atmosphere than in the sound as he seeks deeper to advance his technical brilliance. This is a sound and delightful CD; where will he take us next?
by Ferdinand Maylin