Hargrove

Piano phenom Eldar Djangirov has most certainly heard it all before: his similarities to Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, his astounding speed, the way he's able to move his way through some of jazz's most intricate numbers, that he's played with some of the genre's biggest names, at some of the most important venues; that all of this has been accomplished before his 20th birthday. And the amazing thing about this is that all of these statements are completely true. Eldar is an exceptionally gifted pianist, regardless of age, very skilled at improvising upon a theme without completely obliterating it, alluding to it constantly while still adding his own distinct voice. All of this is portrayed very well on Eldar Live at the Blue Note…

Three years after the release of Sullivan Fortner’s charming Impulse! Records debut, Aria, the 31-year-old New Orleans-bred pianist and composer returns with his enchanting sophomore effort, Moments Preserved, which finds him leading a sterling trio with bassist Ameen Saleem and drummer Jeremy “Bean” Clemons. Produced by Grammy-winning Brian Bacchus, Moments Preserved arrived at the end of a productive recording period; Fortner participated on six recording sessions in less than two months. Nevertheless, he hails Moments Preserved as one of the “most honest and emotionally direct” albums he’s made yet. While gathering tunes for the album, he reflected on many key life moments that have occurred since winning the 2008 Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship and the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship. Those moments include concluding his eight-year tenure in Roy Hargrove’s band then emerging as a bandleader.

Audrey Powne's stunning debut album, From The Fire, is set to be one of those must have LPs in any music lover's collection. Something of an auteur release it features nine tracks all composed by Audrey, with all string arrangements and all produced by her. Audrey's decision to produce the whole album herself came from a desire to take creative control of her music and apply techniques developed from the influences of the producers she had previously worked with. If all of the above were not enough Audrey also wrote the lyrics for those tracks on which she sings, and as a multi-instrumentalist contributes piano, Rhodes and organ. She also features as a trumpeter with dextrous and soaring solos as evidenced by the two single releases so far; Feed The Fire and the title track, From The Fire.