ELDAR DJANGIROV TRIO: Breakthrough
Motéma, 2013

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ – Strong trio set from an explosive young pianist who first emerged as a child prodigy. His calling card is superheated, splashy pyrotechnics of the Art Tatum variety, but he’s also writing some tricky originals and showing a good balance between classical and jazz ideas (he records in both genres). Hot stuff.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 5, 9, 10

1. 7:59 – fast, churning romp: sweeping piano turns to bebop, everybody solos
2. 5:50 – standard opens with breezy, classical air, then rolls; virtuoso ending
3. 10:00 – jabbing, complex, speedy: tons of energy, Chris Potter pops on sax
4. 5:49 – graceful standard ballad, hushed, sounds almost like a hymn
5. 4:02 – Radiohead tune: high and breezy, flowing over a skittery beat
6. 6:51 – uptempo, snaky melody [CD IS DAMAGED; BEWARE GLITCHES!]
7. 3:19 – standard: a playful walk with bits of blues and classical woven in
8. 7:53 – upbeat, cautiously optimistic and flowing, bursts open in the middle
9. 7:43 – angular, futuristic feel: bombastic piano and an off-center groove
10. 8:46 – uptempo fusion-like chugger with vibraphone (Joe Locke)
11. 4:51 – solo piano ballad, very rich sound, recorded at a classical session

[ Fo ] - 28 April 2013