Pianist and composer Elchin Shirinov was tutored by great musical talents such as Vagif Sadikhov, Aaron Goldberg, Kevin Hays, Jean Michel Pilc, Yakov Okun. In his formative years he was influenced by a number of great musicians, most notably Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau through an intensive analytic work on their music. "Elchin has a really good sense of how to orchestrate for the trio setting. In particular he finds a distinct place for the piano and the bass in the music. He doesn't play any extraneous stuff that the bass is already doing. That makes the listening experience pleasing - it’s transparent." "The record is a strong achievement - pleasing to listen to, strong compositions, nice improvising, really good trio playing." Brad Mehldau “Passionate. Thoughtful. Always playing with care, Elchin Shirinov is a musician for us to discover and enjoy. His original compositions are exciting to listen to. The band on this recording sounds relaxed and in totally sync. Their playing together is smooth as silk and seemingly effortless. Great stuff!” Jeff Ballard "Elchin Shirinov has developed a sound and approach all his own. His writing and piano playing echo another time yet resonate with a modernity that is striking. He really pulls a sound out of the piano making possible a whole palette of sonic color. It is music worth exploring deeply." Larry Grenadier The Elchin Shirinov Trio is an exciting new project interweaving forward looking arrangements of traditional Azerbijani music and brand new compositions.