Tigran Hamasyan (Armenia)
The Armenian piano wunderkind Tigran Hamasyan leaves you clutching at references. Like Bartók, he takes ancient folk themes from his home country and twists them into complex modernist miniatures. Like Liszt, he writes romantic piano solos with a sparkling right hand; like Keith Jarrett, he improvises funky gospel tunes, humming along with his own solos. But never mind the labels; Hamasyan composes and plays music with an improvisational virtuosity that will shift the way you listen to jazz.