So... Back to Eldar at The Blue Note earlier tonight.
Quite simply put... WOW!
As impressive as his playing and musicality is on disc, in person it is even moreso. Not only was I continually blown away at the velocity of his fingers, but I was also bowled over by the various colorings he worked out that Steinway. His rendition of "Besame Mucho" sounded like it was being played on a "cushion piano" - for lack of a better word for how to describe that sound.
He opened with "I Remember When" which also opens his latest CD, "re-imagination". He did have a synth sitting on top of the piano, as well as Rhodes unit hooked into a processor to his left, and he duplicated many of the colors and morphs of sound that are on the disc. Then came a totally re-worked and practically deconstructed version of "Sofly As In A Morning Sunrise". Again, a total WOW! Once the tune came into the focus after the initial improvisation, it all just fell into place. And, man, did it swing too! I particularly enjoyed how he treated the final cadence of the melody, making that the "home hook" for his rendition. The rest of set included a few more tunes from "re-imagination" as well as his previous CDs.
Now as for those hands... Vladimir Ashkenazy was praised for his very prodigious right-hand technique. -As was/is Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum(!). Clean, lightning fast playing. Never a note out of place. There were times tonight when I thought Eldar was playing with two right hands. There was some astonishing passage work in octaves between the two hands. Sometimes that took place on the Steinway. Sometimes his right hand was on the synth and his left was on the piano - or vice versa. Or his left hand was on the Rhodes to the left him while his right hand was on the piano. And still he managed some hard-to-believe unison playing. -And there was also one continuous trill that I swear lasted at least a minute long - if not longer - all the while playing melody and accents with his left - or right hand - with some interjections from the non-trilling fingers at the same time!
And I swear there were times when I thought I was finally hearing that fabled "Chopin rubato". Chopin was stated to have been able to playing an accompaniment figure in his left hand in a steady tempo, while "allowing" his right hand to play the melody freely above it. -Like a singer back-phrasing over a steady accompaniment of chords. There has always been a debate whether this is physically-mentally possible, and tonight I think I heard that it is.
What I found quite surprising was his stage manor - well, his stage voice. Not a trace of Russian in it. Very relaxed, very cool. And very mature for a 20-year old! -Then I remembered he has been in the States since he was nine.
Oh, and I have to mention the contributions and collaborations of his bass player, Earl Travis, and drummer, Terreon Gully. They were truly Eldar's "band mates" up on that stage. -And their featured solos were also quite impressive.
After the set, DR Cason and I headed upstairs. Well, that's where the bathrooms were, but I also wanted to see about getting an autograph. Or at least seeing and shaking those hands. Luckily, Eldar happened to come out of his dressing room, and he chatted with us for a bit. Young and modest. (And cute.) And I did get my CD signed. -And, thankfully, the one bit of Russian I do remember happened to apply as we were leaving: Spokoinoi Nochi, Good Night.
