Travels - Downbeat

PlayersBekaGochiashviliMomentous ArrivalWith keyboard demons getting youngerand younger, it’s growing tougherto separate the prodigy from themerely gifted. But the rare bird whose youthfulabilities rise above the prodigious is easy tospot, and teenage pianist Beka Gochiashvili, anative of the former Soviet republic of Georgia,is decidedly one.That was the assessment of drummer LennyWhite as he observed Gochiashvili at the grandpiano on a quiet afternoon in March at Birdlandin Manhattan. Birdland is a setting of note for thepianist, who already counts among his achievementssome sizzling sets there with high-flyingartists like White. Recalling those dates,Birdland’s owners agreed to make the club availablefor some off-hours music and conversation.Seated at the piano, Gochiashvili cut thewiry, even hungry figure of one who had beencaught up in the painful adjustments of post-Soviet society, not least the transformation froma culture in which jazz was forbidden to one inwhich it was allowed to grow. Days short of his17th birthday, he appeared wise beyond his years.His playing revealed a mature sensibility,which for White invited comparison with thatof a 17-year-old wunderkind from the past:Tony Williams. “When [Williams] came on thescene, everybody recognized that,” White said.“They’ll do the same with Beka.”Such heady talk is nothing new forGochiashvili. By age 11, he was drawing ravesand disarming listeners, including White, whofirst heard him play during a workshop at the2007 Saulkrasti Jazz Festival in Latvia, wherethe drummer was appearing. White said he putGochiashvili through his paces, inviting him tosit in with his band as it ran through “All TheThings You Are.” Gochiashvili contributedwith subtlety and sophistication to the group, atop-flight aggregation that included saxophonistBenny Maupin and bassist Victor Bailey.“Showing that kind of knowledge at such anearly age was remarkable,” said White, whostored the information for future use beforeheading back to the United States.After the Saulkrasti moment, Gochiashvilisaid, he “was in heaven.” But that was not hisonly brush with fame in 2007. Already a pintsizedfixture in the clubs of Tbilisi, the Georgiancapital, he had come to the attention of local governmentofficials, who introduced him to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. An amateurpianist, Rice was reportedly so captivatedby his playing that she added her support to thatof Georgian authorities, who, viewing him as avaluable cultural export at a time of increasingtension with Russia, helped stake him to a trip tothe United States in July 2008, a month beforewar broke out between Russia and Georgia. Thetrip proved a turning point; he auditioned forJuilliard and was accepted to the school’s precollegedivision, where he began studying withpianist Frank Kimbrough.Despite that acceptance, life in the UnitedStates at first seemed harsh. He was separated fromfamily, friends and hometown fans. “I was sadand depressed, but jazz saved me,” Gochiashvilirecalled. In 2010 he reconnected with White andbegan mixing with two other charter members ofReturn to Forever: Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea,a strong influence on his evolving style. Gigs followed,including a string of performances withClarke’s trio last year, with a stint at Manhattan’sBlue Note being one of the key highlights.This year, Corea asked him to be part of aperformance in May at Jazz at Lincoln Center,along with heavyweights like trumpeter WallaceRoney and bassist John Patitucci—both of whomplayed on Gochiashvili’s eponymous debut CD,released last year under the Exitus label and producedby White. The album stands out for itspersonal statements, highlighted by the openingnumber, “Un Gran Abrazo,” an evocative tributeto Corea that Gochiashvili first performed in asolo turn at the Blue Note in November 2011—at Corea’s request during his 70th birthday bash.Gochiashvili takes such gestures in stride,projecting an understated confidence. Asked toexplain the process by which he works, he playsdown the impressive assortment of tools he has sorapidly acquired and focuses instead on the emotionaldemands of the art form.“There’s nothing to know in jazz,” he said.“There’s something to feel.”Having led groups at Birdland in 2010 and2011, he will return there in June, with a hiphop-leaningquartet complete with turntablist.He also plans to continue his acoustic effortsin a variety of formats. The road beckons andwell-heeled backers are said to be waiting in thewings, though he is wary about being swept up inthe touring life before he knows himself better,lest he risk closing down the channels that havefueled his creative growth.“Concerts are not the main thing in my life,”he said. “The main thing is keeping my availabilityfor improvising.” —Phillip Lutz20 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2013