Since signing with SONY MASTERWORKS at the age of 17, the young pianist Eldar has worked tirelessly on the road and in the studio to deepen his exploration of the traditions of jazz—bebop, post-bop and beyond. With the April 5th release of Three Stories, his first solo recording on MASTERWORKS Jazz, Eldar pays homage to his classical roots by combining his musical passions, jazz and classical. Combining pyrotechnics with a mature sensibility, Eldar established an early reputation as a jazz phenom. He has since thrilled audiences around the world, injecting youthful excitement into both jazz and classical traditions. It is on tour that he continues to develop his unique style that traverses both genres. In 2010, he was on the road for 180 days in support of Virtue, his last album, all over the U.S., Europe and Asia. Eldar will continue to tour extensively throughout 2011 in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Russia, and beyond. Soon after migrating to the U.S. from Kyrgyzstan at age ten, Eldar showed his precocity, appearing on the Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz NPR show at the age of twelve, quickly releasing two independent albums, and signing with Sony in 2004 at the age of

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"This is certainly jazz piano, but it's the kind that belongs in a recital hall… Djangirov gets to the heart of every song..."

Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

"He’s a genius beyond most young people I’ve heard."

Dave Brubeck in The New York Times

"Djangirov's playing is, simply, flawless."

Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide

"A blend of musical intelligence, organizational savvy, enthusiasm and prowess that was all the more impressive for seeming so casual…an ebullient impressionist."

The New York Times

"Something special goes on here… In Djangirov's hands, the piano is a dramatic personage."

Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer

"With the release of Virtue, Eldar may have sealed his role in future jazz history."

Bill Meredith, Jazziz

"…One of the finest jazz pianists of his generation."

CMJ Magazine

"...re-imagination explores his own more mature musical vision, emphasizing his skills as a composer..."

Charles Gans, Associated Press

"Eldar’s solo piano mastery continues to amaze."

All About Jazz

"Excellent… Eldar’s keyboard technique can be blisteringly electric one moment, tender and thoughtful the next…boundless range and talent."

San Francisco Chronicle

"His style contains echoes of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson and other greats, but it's undeniably his own."

Orange County Register

"…It’s not the flash and fire that should stir interest in Eldar. It’s what he does when the razzle-dazzle dies down and we sense substance within and beyond his pyrotechnics."

Downbeat

"…Eldar applies his powers across this entire set with a level of taste and maturity that belie his age…this is the album for which the term “Young Lion” was created."

Keyboard

"...with technique many of his elders can only envy…It’s that touch, his encyclopedic knowledge, and endless imagination that truly mark him as someone special to watch and listen to."

Jazziz

"…a terror of a technician who can scorch the keys in unexpected ways…channels the spirits of McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson along with Russian classical composers – all while showing great touch with dynamic"

The Philadelphia Inquirer

"...pianists in their thirties would struggle to match his brio... [he] demonstrates a casual mastery of the post-bop idiom, scattering mercurial phrases in all directions..."

The London Times

"…a musician with the aesthetic maturity of a well-traveled jazz veteran…from the torrential, two-handed cascades of Oscar Peterson to the lush, rarefied harmonic language of Herbie Hancock …startling technical command and improbable improvisational flair…"

The Philadelphia Inquirer

"…a refined touch to complement his ability to play at warp speed."

The Boston Globe

"…the pianist displayed extraordinary technique from the moment he began … Eldar fashioned a jaw-dropping, Art Tatumesque solo interpretation, teeming with chromatic flurries and punctuated by resounding left-hand chords and striding patterns."

Washington Post