Biography
Vlad showed musical aptitude at a very early age, beginning piano study at age four. He was accepted to the prestigious Uspenski School of Music in his home town of Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he studied classical piano for 11 years. As a teenager, much to the chagrin of his instructors, he began experimenting with jazz. His family emigrated to the U.S. in the 90’s and he began gigging in Boulder and Aspen where he caught the ear of Herbie Hancock and was invited to participate in the Thelonious Monk Institute at Jazz Aspen. Vlad has been in Denver ever since and has performed with Bob Berg, Stanley Jordan, Ernie Watts, Karen Briggs, Jerry Gonzales, Arturo Sandoval and legendary drummer Horacio El Negro Hernandez. His compositions have received awards and a recent trio recording with his son Aleks and bassist Eddie Gomez is said to invoke an atmosphere reminiscent of classical chamber music; artful phrasing and colorful intimacy, texture and nuance. Vlad is a sought after soloist and Sideman.
Press
«Vlad Girshevich is an eloquent pianist with impressive technical facility»
«Pianist and composer Vlad Girshevich is a thrilling and adventurous talent»
«Vlad crafts evocative melodies, classically tinged jazz that is intimate and inviting. He can lure you with a beautiful melody, provoke pondering with contemplative noodling, or captivate with a scholarly musical exploration spanning an expansive array of art and culture»
«Girshevich possesses a high level of stylistic virtuosity… His technique ranges from the fitful, breakneck finger-Olympics on more adventurous tunes to the warm and introspective, melancholic playing of more delicate ones»
«Vlad provides sparkling piano runs that possess an intricate filigree»
«Brilliant harmonic color palette with a subtle yet intense lyrical direction»
“Vlad Girshevich is a virtuoso pianist both musically and technically. Few jazz pianists possess the technical command which he exhibits; he melds intensive training in the Russian school of classical piano playing with an impeccable understanding of American jazz piano style. His playing is a unique blend of Jarrett, Corea and OP. His immense technical ability is always applied in service to the musical requirements of a given situation, naturally and musically. As if his pianistic exploits weren’t enough, he is also a terrific jazz organist and a gifted composer. His online piano school Kung Fu Piano offers revelatory insights and a unique perspective of on theoretical approaches. He fuses a clear delineation of music theory with a metaphysical approach: relating theoretical concepts with analogies to the physical and sociological world. I’ve been told that a definition of Kung Fu is “one who knows”. Vlad knows.”
– Michael Waldrop
Photos
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