[Dixielandjazz] The Pianist Eldar

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

I may have missed the reference to Eldar.  I seem to remember one to Taylor Eigsti, a youngster I thought well enough of in writing a review of a CD of his. Eldar was another matter, delivering Oscar Peterson's "Place St. Henri" (with a stride interlude which  Peterson premiered  as a  variation on something else  in the  1950s)  with at least as  much power as  Peterson and maybe an easier transition between the more bop-influenced and the stride passages than Peterson did on his recording of his Canadiana Suite.   

This is because in sheer mechanical technique he is pretty well Peterson's equal. I sincerely hope San Francisco will hear rather more than the pastiche of McCoy Tyner also thrown into Eldar's recorded performance of the Peterson number.  There really are some stunningly capable young musicians these days, but only some of them manifest a sufficiently thorough capability associated with music and meaning, rather than more and more notes and mere manual dexterity. 

       
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