Friday, June 13, 2008

TAYLOR EIGSTI"Let It Come to You"Concord

TWENTY-THREE-year-old jazz pianist and two-time Grammy nominee Taylor Eigsti still can't shake his reputation as a keyboard prodigy. But he's clearly smart and seasoned enough to know that technique can take a musician only so far.

That's why "Let It Come to You," Eigsti's new release, is never more entertaining than when the pianist is fully engaged with his bandmates and guests, emphasizing group interaction rather than solo improvisations or routine piano-driven arrangements. Cases in point: Pat Metheny's "Timeline," a quintet performance in which Eigsti and guest tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman pay passionate tribute to the late reedman Michael Brecker; Juan Tizol's "Caravan," a decidedly contemporary, sonically tweaked quartet take on the Duke Ellington Orchestra hit, featuring guitarist Julian Lage, Eigsti's longtime collaborator; and "Brick Steps" the climactic chapter in Eigsti's three-part "Fallback Plan Suite." Besides making evocative use of piano and Fender Rhodes, "Brick Steps" prominently features drummer Eric Harland and saxophonists Dayna Stephens and Ben Wendel, bringing the album to a stirring, satisfying close.

But not before Eigsti gets a chance to collaborate with the remarkable Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda during a rhapsodic duo performance inspired by "Fever."

-- Mike Joyce

Appearing Tuesday at Blues Alley (202-337-4141,http://www.bluesalley.com). Shows start at 8 and 10 p.m.