Articles

Taylor Eigsti: Daylight at Midnight

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 ...

Taylor Eigsti: The Prodigy, Revisited

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 ...

Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come To You

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 ...

Taylor Eigsti Quartet at Scullers, Boston

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 ...

Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come To You

By Jerry D'Souza

Music is aroused in the soul. Pianist Taylor Eigsti harkens to the call and finds his inspiration in a well-chosen selection of standards and four originals on Let It Come to You.

Eigsti's firm sense of harmony and focused direction turn this outing into a delicious adventure. He gives melody its due even as his innovations brim with exciting ideas. His band adds to the impact, and he is astute enough to utilize the line-up for ...

Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come To You

By Martin Gladu

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.Already a veteran at only 23, Taylor Eigsti strongly contests a high-ranking position amidst the ever growing list of working (read: marketed) prodigies. In the pianist/composer's case though, the towering flattery and sizeable publicity such precocious talents usually garner, comes ...

Taylor Eigsti: Lucky To Be Me

By Ken Franckling

Fire and crisp delicacy go hand in hand on Lucky To Be Me, Taylor Eigsti's major label debut. It is clear that he loves rhythm shifts within a song--and from song to song. His teasing rearrangements of “Giant Steps and “Love For Sale are edgy and delightful. He then turns pop singer Björk's dark ballad “I've Seen It All into a piece of personal introspection. “Woke Up This Morning is the funky, up-tempo theme song to HBO's ...