Home » Jazz Musicians » Taylor Eigsti

Taylor Eigsti

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was four years old. Growing up in Menlo Park, CA, Eigsti was quickly labeled a prodigy, and has since released 8 albums as a bandleader, in addition to appearing on over 60 albums as a sideman. Eigsti recently won a 2022 GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for his most recent album “Tree Falls”, released in 2021 on GSI Records. In addition to this recent honor, Eigsti has garnered 3 individual GRAMMY® nominations over the years for his work as a recording artist and composer, including Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Eigsti has also been featured on several other GRAMMY® nominated albums by Gretchen Parlato and Julian Lage, and co-wrote a featured composition with Don Cheadle for the GRAMMY® - winning soundtrack to the motion picture “Miles Ahead” (2017).

Over the past 30+ years, Eigsti has had the good fortune of performing, touring or recording with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Chris Botti, Joshua Redman, Sting, John Mayer, Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea, Joshua Bell, Snarky Puppy, Vanessa Williams, David Benoit, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, Ben Wendel, Christian McBride, Julian Lage, Michael Nesmith, Dianne Reeves, Vince Mendoza, Marian McPartland, Stefon Harris, McCoy Tyner, Joey DeFrancesco, Red Holloway, James Moody, Ernestine Anderson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Becca Stevens, Casey Abrams, Charles McPherson, The Clayton Brothers, Eldar, Dianne Schuur, Joe Lovano, Ambrose Akinmusire, Hank Jones, The Brubeck Brothers, Sachal Vasandani, and Frederica Von Stade, among many others.

In addition to touring with his trio and quartet and larger ensembles, Eigsti has also been a long-time member of the regular touring bands of Chris Botti, Eric Harland Voyager, Gretchen Parlato, and Kendrick Scott Oracle, among many others over the years. Most recently Eigsti has been a regular touring member of two-time Academy Award nominated composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s E-Collective band featuring the Turtle Island Quartet, in addition to touring in a duo context with Rolling Stones’ long-time vocalist Lisa Fischer. 

Eigsti has had the honor to tour internationally for many years, having the opportunity to perform at many premiere venues throughout the world, including the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Salle Pleyel, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Royal Festival Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Olympia Hall, Massey Hall, Lincoln Center, Davies Symphony Hall, and many top festivals including Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Singapore Mosaic Music Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Stockholm Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Quito Jazz Festival, Jakarta Jazz Festival, Sydney Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and many more performances worldwide, including a private performance for former President Bill Clinton. 

Read more

Tags

2
Album Review

JD Walter: What the World Needs Now

Read "What the World Needs Now" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


JD Walter beckons listeners into a soulful and captivating journey through modern jazz interpretations of non-jazz material. With his unique vocal stylings and innovative arrangements, he brings a fresh perspective to familiar popular tunes, and several jazz standards, while delivering thought-provoking original compositions. From the very first track--Stevie Wonder's “Golden Lady"--it is evident that Walter's vocal prowess is a force to be reckoned with. He dashes along in full flight and then effortlessly shifts into intricate ...

24
Album Review

Walter Smith III: Return To Casual

Read "Return To Casual" reviewed by Dave Linn


Walter Smith III released his debut album, Casually Introducing (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006), to enthusiastic reviews. On it, he covered Sam Rivers, Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman and wrote the other six tracks, showcasing a mature and varied sense of composition. His playing and arrangements showed him to be a new, young (he was 26 years old) artist on the rise. Over the ensuing years, he released eight other albums, mainly for European labels. These recordings (including one live ...

21
Album Review

JD Walter: Dressed in a Song

Read "Dressed in a Song" reviewed by Victor L. Schermer


JD Walter is a consummate vocalist who has devoted himself over many years to evolving a unique style that is nevertheless ensconced in the jazz tradition. The public relations sheet for this new CD states that “this is his first release since recovering from a life-threatening heart condition and surgeries on his heart and vocal cords." It states that this is a “comeback" record. That is a misnomer. In this recording, he takes the music to new levels of structure, ...

333
Album Review

Taylor Eigsti: Daylight at Midnight

Read "Daylight at Midnight" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger


It's official: pianist Taylor Eigsti has finally outgrown his “prodigy" label.At 26, with two Concord CDs and numerous sideman recordings behind him, Eigsti has finally made the artistic statement he's intended since his career began at the age of 11. Raised on the American songbook, and indoctrinated early into concerns about the continued viability of jazz, Eigsti has always wanted to create new audiences by embracing the favorite material of the iPod generation. In his previous CDs he ...

997
Interview

Taylor Eigsti: The Prodigy, Revisited

Read "Taylor Eigsti: The Prodigy, Revisited" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger


In 2004, I interviewed both Taylor Eigsti and his mother, Nancy, about what it was like to be (and to raise) a prodigy. In the four years since then, Taylor's career has continued its nearly-vertical trajectory, with two Grammy nominations, two prestigious Piano Jazz shows with Marian McPartland, three jazz magazine covers, and multiple Down Beat Magazine critics' poll recognition.

Now, at the ripe old age of 23, Eigsti continues to carve his place in the ...

446
Album Review

Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come To You

Read "Let It Come To You" reviewed by Chris May


Everyone who hears him seems to agree: Taylor Eigsti is the most exciting progressive-mainstream pianist to come along in a very long time. Pianist Dave Brubeck says, “He's the most amazing talent I've ever come across." Not the most amazing talent Brubeck has come across “in recent years" or “in America," or any such qualification, but the most amazing talent ever, period.

It's all true. Still only 23 years old, Eigsti is like a fresh wind blowing through ...

237
Live Review

Taylor Eigsti Quartet at Scullers, Boston

Read "Taylor Eigsti Quartet at Scullers, Boston" reviewed by Michael Epstein


Taylor Eigsti QuartetScullersBoston, MassachusettsMay 14, 2008

From recent recordings with John Scofield, Joshua Redman, Peter Bernstein, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, James Genus, Billy Kilson, the Brubeck Brothers, and the Czech National Orchestra, 23-year-old Taylor Eigsti has already established himself as a brilliant composer and jazz pianist. At such a young age, his unusual level of maturity has helped him earn the respect of major players as well as labels, as evidenced on his recent Concord ...

Read more articles
58

Radio

Kindred Spirits: Taylor Eigsti and Becca Stevens

Kindred Spirits: Taylor Eigsti and Becca Stevens

Source: Groove Notes

CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE STUDIO SESSION Pianist, Taylor Egisti and vocalist/guitarist, Becca Stevens, stopped by the KPLU Seattle studios on May 16th to brighten an otherwise rainy Monday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest with an performance and interview, hosted by Evening Jazz host Abe Beeson. Both artists are in the process of building strong solo careers for themselves. However, their paths crossed frequently in the New York jazz community and they soon found that their individual approaches to jazz ...

196

Education

NEW on JazzPianoOnline.com: Artist Voicings: Taylor Eigsti

NEW on JazzPianoOnline.com: Artist Voicings: Taylor Eigsti

Source: Bill Rinehart

Three voicing techniques from the beautiful solo piano introduction to Taylor Eigsti's tune “Midnight After Noon" from his 2010 Concord Records release, Daylight at Midnight, are examined in this lesson: a dramatic voicing without a third, an ascending major chord line cliche and rich drop 2 voicings. Learn how he uses them, the theory that makes them work and strategies for incorporating these devices into your own playing. JazzPianoOnline.com is an on-demand, digital library of streaming video jazz piano lessons. ...

143

Contest

Enter the "Taylor Eigsti - Daylight at Midnight" Autographed CD Giveaway

Enter the "Taylor Eigsti - Daylight at Midnight" Autographed CD Giveaway

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Concord Jazz “Taylor Eigsti—Daylight at Midnight“ autographed CD giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on December 21st. Click here to enter the contest (Following Taylor Eigsti at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Concord Jazz About Daylight at Midnight Concord Jazz is proud to announce the release of Daylight at Midnight, the newest album from the pianist/composer ...

132

Recording

Pianist Taylor Eigsti to release "Daylight at Midnight" September 21, 2010 on Concord Jazz

Pianist Taylor Eigsti to release "Daylight at Midnight" September 21, 2010 on Concord Jazz

Source: Michael Ricci

Eigsti Showcases Innovative Renditions of songs by contemporary composers such as Nick Drake, Rufus Wainwright, Elliot Smith, Imogen Heap and Feist Concord Jazz is proud to announce the release of Daylight at Midnight, the newest album from the pianist/composer Taylor Eigsti. This innovative collection includes original Eigsti compositions, as well as other remarkable musical renditions by composers such as Nick Drake, Imogen Heap, Elliot Smith and Rufus Wainwright. The 11-track collection marks Eigsti's third Concord Jazz release and is available ...

206

Performance / Tour

Hot & Cool Jazz: Pianist Eigsti Returns

Hot & Cool Jazz: Pianist Eigsti Returns

Source: Michael Ricci

Jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Taylor Eigsti will grace the stage at Wilton Library Saturday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. in a Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room concert. Mr. Eigsti will be accompanied by vocalist Becca Stevens and bassist Harish Raghavan. This is Mr. Eigsti's third appearance at the library; his performance will include selections from his latest CD, “Let It Come to You," as well as pieces from his CD that will be released this May. A ...

436

Festival

Free Agent Taylor Eigsti Goes His Own Way at the 2009 Stanford Jazz Festival

Free Agent Taylor Eigsti Goes His Own Way at the 2009 Stanford Jazz Festival

Source: Michael Ricci

STANFORD, CA — Taylor Eigsti--the Bay Area-born piano phenom who has already released two CD’s through the Concord Records jazz label and has two Grammy noms under his belt at the ripe old age of 24--brings his new project, Free Agency, to the Stanford Jazz Festival for its West Coast premiere on Sunday July 26, 2009 at 7:30 pm. The sextet features Eigsti on piano, along with keyboardist Gerald Clayton, vocalists Becca Stevens and Gretchen Parlato, bassist Harish Raghavan and ...

95

Interview

Pianist Taylor Eigsti Interviewed at AAJ

Pianist Taylor Eigsti Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

Pianist Taylor Eigsti was last interviewed at AAJ in 2004, along with his mother, Nancy, about what it was like to be (and to raise) a prodigy. In the four years since then, Taylor's career has continued its nearly-vertical trajectory, with two Grammy nominations, two prestigious Piano Jazz shows with Marian McPartland, three jazz magazine covers, and multiple Down Beat Magazine critics' poll recognition.

Now 23, Eigsti continues to carve his place in the jazz tradition while being very much ...

196

Recording

Free MP3 Download: Taylor Eigsti's "Fallback Plan Suite (Part I): Less Free Will" from Let It Come to You

Free MP3 Download: Taylor Eigsti's "Fallback Plan Suite (Part I): Less Free Will" from Let It Come to You

Source: All About Jazz

Download “Fallback Plan Suite (Part I): Less Free Will," a free MP3 from Taylor Eigsti's latest release Let It Come to You.

Download: Less Free Will Taylor Eigsti 5:22 From: Let It Come to You

About Taylor Eigsti With Taylor Eigsti's new CD, Let It Come to You, the pianist-composer-bandleader takes another giant stride forward as a significant new voice in the jazz world, and at 23, he stands tall ...

126

Recording

Taylor Eigsti - "Let It Come to You" Released This Week

Taylor Eigsti - "Let It Come to You" Released This Week

Source: On Target Media Group

Concord Jazz have released the new album (CD & Digital) from Jazz piano wonder kid and two-time Grammy nominee Taylor Eigsti titled Let It Come To You. Let It Come To You is Taylor's follow up to his 2006 Concord debut Lucky To Be Me which spent 23 weeks on the national jazz radio airplay charts, peaking at No. 7, and earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best Instrumental Composition and for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo Performance. The new album features ...

"It is always a joy, not to mention quite reassuring, for any serious acoustic jazz cognoscente to happen upon a young interpreter of the music that not only masters its tradition, but significantly develops his own voice and sound....Be prepared to be blown away." - Martin Gladu, ALL ABOUT JAZZ "He's the most amazing talent I've ever come across. Remember him." - DAVE BRUBECK "I was more than impressed by 'Let it Come to You.' I was taken aback by the rich musical experience I had just heard. This is one recording not to be missed, trust me." - Edward Blanco "There comes a time in every former prodigy's life when they have to be judged on their output as an adult

Read more

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Return To Casual

Blue Note Records
2023

buy

What the World Needs...

Arkadia Records
2023

buy

Dressed in a Song

JWAL Records
2020

buy

Daylight at Midnight

Concord Music Group
2011

buy

Daylight At Midnight

Concord Music Group
2010

buy

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.