Shahin Novrasli

Pianist and composer Shahin Novrasli brings an elegant touch to performances that weave together strands of classical music, jazz, and the folk traditions of his native Azerbaijan. Since surfacing in the late 1990s he has put out several intimate-ensemble recordings, among them the 2003 release Eternal Way, the 2013 album Bayati, and Emanation from 2017.

Born in Baku in 1977, Novrasli came from a household centered on intellectual pursuits, with a father who taught at the university level and a mother who worked as an economist. He traces his lineage to the celebrated nineteenth-century Azerbaijani poet Mirza Alesker Novres. Taking up the piano early, he played regularly through his teenage years and completed studies at both the Bulbul Music School and the Azerbaijan State Music Academy. Along the way he immersed himself in both classical repertoire and jazz, drawing particular influence from Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Chick Corea. He also explored the work of Azerbaijani jazz pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh, whose approach offered an early model for merging jazz with traditional Mugham forms.

After finishing his schooling, Novrasli began touring across America and Europe in the late 1990s while directing ensembles of varying sizes. His first recording appeared in 2000 as the trio session J'z Mu, followed by a concert album in 2001 and the quintet project Eternal Way in 2003. In 2006 he documented another live date, Live in Prague Castle, joined by bassist Nathan Peck, drummer Sasha Mashin, and saxophonist Chris Hemingway. The trio album Bayati surfaced in 2013, again featuring Peck alongside drummer Ari Hoenig. Novrasli next presented his quintet on the 2017 recording Emanation, which included bassist James Cammack, drummer Andre Ceccarelli, percussionist Irakli Koiava, and violinist Didier Lockwood. In 2019 he issued From Baku to New York City, supported by Cammack and Herlin Riley, the latter formerly the drummer with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.