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Taylor Eigsti
Daylight At Midnight
CJA-32100-02
UPC: 888072321007
Release Date: September 21, 2010
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PHOTOS
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Pianist Taylor Eigsti to release Daylight at Midnight September 21, 2010 on Concord Jazz
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 September 21, 2010.
On Daylight at Midnight, Eigsti continues to challenge the norms of what constitutes jazz today. While Eigsti pays full respect to the jazz tradition, he also exercises his passion for melodies of esteemed songwriters from his generation and explores a variety of music that piques his curiosity. In this collection, he not only finds resonance in the aforementioned top-tier, pop-oriented composers... but also brings to light a doubleheader of personal revelation: 20th-century Catalonian classical pianist Federico Mompou and up-and-coming vocalist/songwriter Becca Stevens, who sings five of the 11 tunes and adds her own flavors of the ukulele and charango. As fitting for an adventurous repertoire, the young pianist augments his unique and lyrical style with the Fender Rhodes, Rhodes PianoBass, Wurlitzer electric piano and Mellotron samples to add color and texture to the tunes.
Daylight at Midnight opens with an inventive instrumental interpretation of Coldplay’s “Daylight,” where Eigsti’s brilliant piano lines and his simpatico rhythm team of bassist Harish Raghavan and world-renowned jazz drummer Eric Harland create beautiful and unpredictable sound waves. The end of the tune affirms Eigsti’s principle, stating, “I can play standards the rest of my life. But I wanted to step away to see what I could do that was different.”
The first track is followed by producer Matt Pierson’s selections: Wainwright’s “The Art Teacher,” which is an instrumental piece that showcases the pianist’s adept Fender Rhodes accompaniment, and “ The Water,” which features luminous vocalist Becca Stevens in a sensual, yet confident and concentrated manner. Stevens also stars on Imogen Heap’s “Little Bird,” a whimsical tune that is performed as a duo with Fender Rhodes, and on Elliot Smith’s reflective beauty “Between the Bars” as well as the collaborative originals, “Magnolia" and "Midnight After Noon.” Of the latter piece, Eigsti explains, “I’d been trying to finish this song for some five years…Once the words came, I realized that the loop melody I had written started sticking in my head.” In the middle section of the album, Eigsti strips his band down to a duo with guest guitarist and longtime musical partner, Julian Lage, on Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon.”
Even as important as Daylight at Midnight is to Eigsti's growth as an artist, the pianist is already thinking about his next musical projects. The once prodigious child pianist is unsatisfied staying static. He is always craving for change in a new music project or exploring different sounds. “With Daylight at Midnight, I wanted to tap into the singer-songwriter world, which will hopefully lead to the next compositional phase in my musical development.” |
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TAYLOR EIGSTI
New York-based pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was 4 years old, inspired by his sister Shannon, a jazz and rock pianist. His musical journey since has been filled with many exciting opportunities to grow as a musician, artist, and educator. Eigsti started bandleading at age 12, was quickly labeled a prodigy, and released 4 early albums as a leader before having the opportunity to sign with Concord Records. Eigsti released "Lucky to Be Me" in 2006, which was nominated for two GRAMMY awards for Best Instrumental Compostion and Best Instrumental Jazz Solo.
The past few years have been especially exciting for the 26 year old California native. Building on the momentum of the previous record, Eigsti was featured on the cover of both Keyboard Magazine and Jazziz Magazine, and was featured in his own BET Television special. Eigsti then released "Let it Come to You"(Concord) 2008, quickly garnering many four-star reviews from such publications as Downbeat Magazine and All Music Guide, and went to #2 in National Jazz Radio Airplay. This album also featured Eigsti's original visual art within the packaging. The national spotlight has allowed many more listeners to become accustomed to Eigsti, which has led to the good fortune of performing or recording with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, James Moody, Ernestine Anderson, David Benoit, Frederica Von Stade, Gretchen Parlato, Dave Douglas, The Clayton Brothers, and Red Holloway, among many others. He has also performed internationally for 11 years with GRAMMY nominated guitarist Julian Lage, his close musical collaborator. Eigsti has been featured on many radio shows, including Marian McPartland's award-winning NPR program "PianoJazz" on three occasions. Eigsti has been recognized by critics internationally for his unique touch and rhythmic control, and his innovative improvisational storytelling.
Eigsti has also incorporated a diverse educational career, leading numerous masterclasses and clinics for 15 years at music workshops and camps, and various colleges such as the University of North Texas, UC Berkeley, Skidmore College, NYU, San Jose St, and many more. He is on the advisory board of Stanford Jazz Workshop, where he has taught for 11 years, and has been the featured guest artist artist at the prestigious Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific, and artist in residence at the Jazzschool Institute in Berkeley, CA.
Recently, Taylor has recently released a brand-new recording for the Concord Music Group - his seventh - entitled "Daylight at Midnight" which features the great singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, Harish Raghavan on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. A departure from previous albums, this project integrates the influence of lyrically-driven acoustic rock music through covers of songs by Coldplay, Feist, MuteMath, Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, and many others, in addition to originals.
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