AT first blush, the pianists Eldar Djangirov and Dave Brubeck could hardly seem less alike. Mr. Djangirov, 22, who is known professionally by his first name, is just finding a voice to match his dazzling dexterity at the keyboard and pop-star appeal. Mr. Brubeck, 88, long ago saw his experiments become part of the jazz lexicon.
But the pianists share musical sensibilities, some personal history and an admiration for each other’s work. On June 13, for the second time in two years, they will also share a bill: Mr. Djangirov (pronounced jon-GEAR-off), whose trio opened for Mr. Brubeck’s quartet last spring at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, will open for the quartet in a solo turn at the Tarrytown Music Hall.
The Tarrytown pairing is the latest chapter in a story that began a decade ago, when Mr. Brubeck wrote a letter to immigration authorities recommending that Mr. Djangirov, who had recently emigrated from Kyrgyzstan to Kansas City, Mo., be allowed to stay in the country. Five years later, at 16, Mr. Djangirov was admitted to the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
Even then, Mr. Brubeck said, it was evident that Mr. Djangirov, who in his early teens had already begun to build a name in Kansas City, had the ability to distinguish himself from the raft of piano prodigies who quickly rise to prominence and just as swiftly fall into obscurity.
“He’s a genius beyond most young people I’ve heard,” Mr. Brubeck said.
As Mr. Djangirov put a grand piano through its paces on a recent afternoon in Steinway Hall in Manhattan, running through tunes he was considering performing at Tarrytown, it was clear why he elicited such praise. He displayed the impressive technique that for the moment remains his signature for many in the wider jazz audience.
But the pianists share musical sensibilities, some personal history and an admiration for each other’s work. On June 13, for the second time in two years, they will also share a bill: Mr. Djangirov (pronounced jon-GEAR-off), whose trio opened for Mr. Brubeck’s quartet last spring at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, will open for the quartet in a solo turn at the Tarrytown Music Hall.
The Tarrytown pairing is the latest chapter in a story that began a decade ago, when Mr. Brubeck wrote a letter to immigration authorities recommending that Mr. Djangirov, who had recently emigrated from Kyrgyzstan to Kansas City, Mo., be allowed to stay in the country. Five years later, at 16, Mr. Djangirov was admitted to the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
Even then, Mr. Brubeck said, it was evident that Mr. Djangirov, who in his early teens had already begun to build a name in Kansas City, had the ability to distinguish himself from the raft of piano prodigies who quickly rise to prominence and just as swiftly fall into obscurity.
“He’s a genius beyond most young people I’ve heard,” Mr. Brubeck said.
As Mr. Djangirov put a grand piano through its paces on a recent afternoon in Steinway Hall in Manhattan, running through tunes he was considering performing at Tarrytown, it was clear why he elicited such praise. He displayed the impressive technique that for the moment remains his signature for many in the wider jazz audience.
