When Eldar was signed to Sony Classical at the age of 17, the young pianist from Kansas City wasalready well known for his prodigious pyrotechnics and precocious knowledge of the beboptradition. Along the way, he's had the good fortune to meet and/or work with the masters includingDr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, Dave Brubeck, Michael Brecker, Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter,Herbie Hancock, etc. Through these opportunities and other wonderful musical experiences, Eldarcontinues to explore new frontiers through composing and performing, enabling him to ultimately torealize his own musical vision.

At age 22, Eldar has scaled new heights in his new trio recording entitled Virtue, which is scheduledfor release on August 25. His fourth album on Sony Masterworks, Virtue affirms his position at theforefront of contemporary jazz and is a fitting follow-up to his 2008 Grammy-nominated album, reimagination.Partnered by bassist Armando Gola and drummer Ludwig Afonso, Virtue featuresstunning original compositions by Eldar and demonstrates the continued development of hiswriting. Eldar also welcomes guest appearances by trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonistsJoshua Redman and Felipe Lamoglia.

Virtue balances exhilarating youthful energy with a new found sophistication and depth of reflectionthat mirrors his personal and creative growth. "I'm so proud of this album, more so than any I'vedone so far," he insists. "In many ways, you could think of it as a soundtrack to my directexperiences since I've moved to New York City."

It's been three years since he relocated from Los Angeles and began processing the stimuli that hisnew home provided. The result is Virtue, which is at the same time adventurous and accessible. Itsindividual tracks combine to create an impression as complex as an urban skyline. Eldar and hisgroup build on this idea by challenging each other through interactions as alive as the rush ofhumanity through city streets.

Eldar came to the U.S. from Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union when he was ten. His firstperformance here was at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. He quickly then moved upthe ranks and was featured on the NPR Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz show at the age of twelve.He then released two albums independently, Eldar [D&D] in 2001, which was followed by the releaseof his second disc, Handprints, in 2003. In 2004, Eldar signed with Sony Classical and recorded histhird album, which is also self-titled featuring the great bassist, John Patitucci, and Michael Breckeron tenor sax. He followed up with the critically acclaimed Live at the Blue Note featuring RoyHargrove and Chris Botti in 2006. One year later, his eagerly anticipated recording, re-imagination,displayed Eldar incorporating new influences resulting in his first Grammy nomination and ravereviews. The New York Times stated, “A blend of musical intelligence, organizational savvy,enthusiasm and prowess that was all the more impressive for seeming so casual…an ebullientimpressionist.” Dr. Billy Taylor said, “Eldar Djangirov's playing shows brilliancy, complexity, anddiscipline… he's serious about his music, he's thoughtful about what he does.” Perhaps Jazz Timessummed it up best: “Maybe he made a pact with Lucifer to be the greatest pianist ever…”Eldar has appeared at many festivals including IAJE, Lionel Hampton, Jakarta, SXSW and CMJ andhas toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has performed at venues ranging fromthe Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall and has played at the most notable jazz venues in the worldincluding Blue Note (NY, Japan, Italy), the Vanguard, Dizzy’s, Yoshi’s, Jazz Alley, etc. Eldar hasbeen seen on national TV including the 2000 and 2008 Grammy Awards, Late Night with ConanO’Brien, CBS Saturday Early Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

2008 was a banner year for Eldar including a Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary JazzAlbum. 2009 has Eldar touring around the world including upcoming debuts at North Sea, Pori andVienna Jazz Festivals, the Jazz Standard and Highline Ballroom in NYC, and concerts with DaveBrubeck, McCoy Tyner and the NHK Orchestra among others. Eldar attended the University ofSouthern California and currently lives in New York City.