YELENA ECKEMOFF
Genres: Post-Fusion Contemporary, Third Stream • Russia

Yelena Eckemoff is a Russian pianist who left the Soviet Union in 1991 to move to the U.S. She began her career in classical music, and in 2010 she released her first jazz album. Eckemoff was born in Moscow, Russia, in the Soviet Union. Her mother was a professional pianist and teacher. When Eckemoff was four, she was learning piano by ear and took lessons from her mother. At seven, she attended Gnessin State Musical College, a school for gifted children. Studied classical piano at Moscow State Conservatory. After graduating, she taught piano in Moscow. She gave solo concerts, took jazz classes, composed music for several instruments, and played in a jazz-rock band. In 1991, she moved to the U.S. She recorded in several genres: classical, vocal, folk, Christian, and new-age. She released her first jazz album, Cold Sun, in 2009, accompanied by drummer Peter Erskine and Danish bassist Mads Vinding. read more...