“He is truly a virtuosic musical prodigy." -- Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 2001

Photo by Andrea Canter

Close your eyes and listen to the piano. McCoy Tyner? Ahmad Jamal? Herbie Hancock? Oscar Peterson? A little Bill Evans and Fred Hersch? Are you really hearing such diverse influences coming from one piano, one pianist? Wait… it’s none of the above, but a creative melding of many voices and unending ideas. Open your eyes. Who is that kid on the bandstand?

Eldar Djanirov is 18, a student at the University of Southern California when his touring schedule permits time in the classroom. But the Kyrgyzstan immigrant already is a veteran performer, appearing with Dr. Billy Taylor on CBS Sunday Morning at age 12, winning top prizes at the 2001 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the 2002 Peter Nero Piano Competition after moving to the U.S., appearing on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz in 2004 (her youngest guest ever), releasing a highly acclaimed CD (Eldar) for Sony Classical this spring, and recently recording live at the Blue Note for release in 2006. And last night at the Dakota, Eldar and his trio (including Marco Panascia on bass and Todd Strait on drums) gave Twin Cities’ jazz fans a tour de force performance. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to single out my favorite shows of the past year. I was torn among several that have impressed me (Gary Burton’s New Generations band, Wallace Roney with DJ Val, Charles Lloyd’s tribute to Billy Higgins), but now the answer comes easily--Eldar.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Earlier in the afternoon, Eldar and Marco presented a brief set and Q &A as part of the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education series of Sunday afternoon “meet the artist” sessions. As relaxed interacting with the audience as he is while tearing up the keyboard, Eldar noted his debt to his mother’s teaching (she’s a classical pianist and was his first teacher) and the strong foundation she helped him build through classical music. Jazz seemed to come naturally after he was swept away by recordings of Oscar Peterson (“I wanted to play as fast as Oscar Peterson.”). But he likes to consider music broadly rather than break it down by genre (“What it communicates to you—that’s what matters”) and his big ears are readily apparent when he sits down at the piano, whether turning a standard inside out or presenting original compositions.

It’s a gutsy approach for a young musician to start a set with a trio of originals, but Eldar is far more than gutsy—his chops speak for themselves. And regardless of the playlist, Eldar never puts aside his need to explore, reshape, and explore again, often developing an intricate pattern of repeated phrases that never seem repetitive, alternately filling and opening space, seamlessly shifting the dynamics and rhythm, always finding a flow that moves like one great river fed by a vast network of divergent tributaries. And watch this youthful face as he throws out one idea after another, reveling in the exchange among his cohorts on stage, exuding the sheer delight that comes when creative energy is its own reward.

Eldar’s compositions reveal a rich well of inspiration. Earlier in the day, he described his sources, noting that “music is inspiration itself. Usually there is a story behind it, a certain moment—sometimes very personal stories.” For the late set opener, he came out swinging with both fists on “Chronicle,” a Tyner-powered angular work propelled by joyous encounters among the three musicians. His heavy-handed chords alternated with gracefully executed phrases; Panascia’s robust and frenetic basslines added to the fire, and Strait engaged the pianist in some explosive call-and-response.

Eldar’s “Daily Living” seemed simultaneously familiar and totally original. From a heavy introduction he moved into a softer, more lyrical groove that would abruptly shift time, space and dynamics in the vein of Ahmad Jamal. Bass and piano engaged in a sympathetic conversation while Strait was a model of restraint, moving the beat into a Latin rhythm and ultimately into a volcanic flow as the pianist receded into (again) a more romantic interlude. As on “Chronicle,” Eldar made extensive use of sequences of repeating—but not repetitive—phrases, less like the patterns of his European counterparts (e.g., Tord Gustavson) and more of a “Midwest montuno.” On “Someday,” Eldar slowed down the pace but not the creative flow as he worked and reworked his phrases, varying rhythm, dynamics, and shadings in intricate explorations that never fell into tedium. Often right hand and left hand seemed to trade off leading roles as the variations moved in an ever-climbing spiral of sound and harmony.

The covers of the evening followed and were equally compelling. Announcing “Body and Soul” as “one of my favorite ballads of all time” (did he mean of all 18 years or of the whole songbook?), Eldar hinted at Bill Evans as he stitched exquisite filagree fills around the melody. Here the power of the earlier tunes was set aside for the lightest imaginable touch as the young pianist caressed the keys as if stroking a harp. Like Schubert melting into Chopin, he wove successive layers of increasingly textured fabric, recalling some of the inventive work of Fred Hersch, buoyed by countering lines from Panascia and some celestial brushwork from Strait. More vibrant was the trio’s romp through Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?” Eldar initiated a Monkish beginning solo that set up a quirky interplay between his left and right hands; Panascia moved into the lead early, countering the keyboard, before Strait cut loose with the full trapset, leaving no space unfilled and making most effective used of the bass drum—driving the heartbeat to a sonic MI. After some playful exchanges between piano and bass, the pace moved into a topspin with Eldar quoting “Green Chimneys” and perhaps more, ending with an ostinato figure that suggested two bassists at work.

Photo by Andrea Canter

“Caravan” began at high velocity and moved along with rhythmic shifts that would have left Ellington shaking his head. Eldar’s hand-over-hand attack soon resembled a Keystone Cops frenzy, and, tipping his hat to idol Oscar Peterson, he threw in a brief quote of “Sweet Georgia Brown.” With Panascia on electric bass (the only nonacoustic episode of the set) and Strait driving at full throttle, the trio created the feel of a full orchestra, always under control despite the pace, meshing together like parts of a well-oiled machine. Responding to a smitten audience, the trio gave a spirited, quirkier-than-Monk-himself encore reading of “Straight No Chaser.” And it wasn’t straight--but it was a perfect chaser.

Eldar spews musical ideas from the keyboard like a sonic Cuisinart on “pulse,” yet melds diverse ingredients like a master chef. At the Dakota, he served up a gourmet buffet that left us sated yet eagerly awaiting the next course. And a little breathless.

Back “home” on the west coast, Eldar will be in Seattle at Jazz Alley December 20-23 (www.jazzalley.com). Click here for more about Eldar and a review of his debut recording.

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