David Gazarov Trio at Mozartfest, Augsburg
“In the old style of Jacques Loussier, Gazarov began to reference Bach’s 1st chorale with matter-of-fact sobriety. What happened then with those sounds far exceeded playful swinging. Bach’s melody was relieved – respectfully! – and sometimes raised into worlds of jazz that were by turns kicked-back and heavily pulsing (…) But when phenomenal pianist Gazarov, a masterful musician with untouchable dexterity, quoted the ecstatic hymns (Oscar Peterson) in original jazz arrangements, or jewels by Sidney Bechet or Benny Goodman, a breathtaking organism was born.” (Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung. 11 May 2015/ Mozart Fest)
David Gazarov Trio in Backnang
“The program culminated in the piece Hymn to Freedom, by Oscar Peterson, in which an unbridled pianist, after a choral-style intro, enraptured the audience completely and brought out eruptions of applause, hooting and whistling, with a magnificent, simmering solo. (…) A standing ovation afterwards and three encores.” (Backnanger Kreiszeitung 24 April 2015/ Backnang Jazz Concerts)
David Gazarov Trio’s “Bachology”, enja, Feb 2015
“Interestingly enough, a pianist who surpasses the 80-year-old Loussier in every respect has now dedicated an album to him. In a musical, vivid, technically brilliant style, the Azerbaijanian David Gazarov demonstrates, along with his trio, how one can approach Bach’s mathematics, how to augment his pieces harmoniously, and how to translate their structures into sophisticated new forms. Gazarov should send his album “Bachology” to the creator of “Play Bach.” (Jazzthetik 2/ 2015)
David Gazarov Trio at Rheingau Music Festival
“The next pianist to play was different: David Gazarov, with Mini Schulz on bass and Obi Jenne on the drums. Jazzing up Bach doesn’t get any more innovative than this – or more classic. Whether he is presenting Gounod’s “Ave Maria” as a moving battle between God’s goodness (piano) and bellicose chaos (drums), turning his interpretation of the first chorale “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (“Sleepers Wake”) into a foot-stomping gospel number, or proffering the well-known minuet from Anna Magdalena’s little music book as a smooth lounge chill-out piece, Gazarov’s capricious joy in playing, great talent, and sky-high delight in making music are palpable. Earned a standing ovation.” (Giessener Allg Zeitung, 28.7.2014)
How pianist David Gazarov filled in for Jacques Loussier at a concert in Bremen
“In solo performances of his own compositions, Gazarov revealed himself not only as a crossover specialist, but also as a full-blooded jazz musician, producing pulsating bass chords and wandering over the lower octaves with his left hand while improvising an impressively infinite array of melody lines with the right. With an incredibly soft “Sunny Teardrops” he demonstrated that Chopin’s music, often played in noble salons, was the source from which the Brazilian bossa nova originated. Moreover, bebop appears to be a continuation of what Chopin had already hinted at in his “Prelude in B Minor”; the infectious drive of “Bebop Idioms” certainly convinced any remaining skeptics in the audience.”
To set the final mood – and with best wishes for Loussier’s recovery – there was a bit of Bach as well: the familiar “Air”, moderately jazzy and very tender. It was followed by thunderous applause for a magnificent “stand-in” performance. (Weser Kurier, Bremen, Dec. 2012)
The Jacques Loussier Trio plays at the Funkhaus without Loussier – his stand-in makes the most of it
The jazz pianist from Azerbaijan didn’t hesitate for a second to display the quality of his artistry. The way his fingers race over the keys is simply sensational – like an infinite succession of new droplets pearling into magnificently rushing water before finally vanishing into it. (Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung Dec, 2012)