Frantzes Elzaurdia

My music draws from a mix of jazz legends, modern jazz, avant-garde, early hip hop, and electronic textures. In 2020, quarantine gave me the opportunity to release an EP called "a painting" — a blend of beats and improvisation. As my drive to create live music grew, I released a single "Spirited" in 2021 and played a short run of concerts of unreleased music with my piano trio. My love for the John Coltrane Quartet grew exponentially, and heirs of that profound approach to music with freedom and deep emotional expression like Immanuel Wilkins' quartet or Ambrose Akinmusire's quartet kept me inspired to keep exploring and experimenting with the acoustic quartet format. "John Coltrane changed the way I approach music — not just as something to master, but as something to surrender to." The musicians inspiring me most right now — Walter Smith, Ambrose Akinmusire, Micah Thomas, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Sullivan Fortner, among many others — are defining the future of jazz, and approach this music in the same way that I'm striving to. I'm currently based in Madrid, active in the local scene. After years of studying solo piano, I released my first album back in 2024, and I'm now focused on further developing my musical career with my quartet, with which we released Mantra in 2026.