Eldar, a 17-year-old jazz pianist from Kyrgyzstan will release his self-titled debut on Sony Classical on March 8, 2005. The recording features original tunes and Eldar’s own arrangements of such jazz classics as “Round Midnight,” “Nature Boy,” “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Fly Me To the Moon.”
Eldar, who plays piano and electric piano/synthesizer on his album, is backed by drummer Todd Strait and bassist John Patitucci, with a guest appearances by tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker.
Eldar, who turns 18 shortly before the release of his album, was featured on the 42nd annual Grammy Awards broadcast and took the top prizes in the 2001 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the 2002 Peter Nero Piano Competition. Marian McPartland had him as her youngest ever guest on her radio series Piano Jazz and invited him to perform on her jazz concert series as the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
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