A modern day pop artist and musical revolutionary, piano iconoclast ELEW is making a substantial impression on the music world with a thunderous new style of playing: an inspired melding of ragtime, rock and pop that he calls Rockjazz.

ELEW has toured the world, recorded, and performed continuously with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Roy Hargrove, and Cassandra Wilson, among others. He won the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, his mesmerizing piano theatrics even then hinting at the new musical paradigm he would one day create.

Now, in the jazz tradition of interpreting popular tunes of the day, much like Art Tatum and John Coltrane, ELEW has turned to rock, combining a guitarist’s approach to the piano with an explosively physical style of playing that would be at home in any arena. An imposing force even before he stands (not sits) behind the piano, ELEW is known for playing his instrument like an athlete plays a sport—going inside the instrument, plucking directly at the strings, and testing the limits of both his body and his mind.

As he continues to gain notoriety with his blistering renditions of infectious rock and pop anthems by Coldplay, The Killers, Nirvana, and more, he has broken free of the rigidly defined boundaries of the traditional jazz world and ultimately given birth to something wholly original. His relentless innovation and disregard for the musical status quo has shocked and angered the jazz world even as it has attracted the rapt attention and following of today’s biggest stars and companies, including Josh Groban, Dave Matthews, America’s Got Talent, Google, Loews Hotels, Fendi, Valentino, and even the White House.

ELEW’s debut album—ELEW Rockjazz Volume 1—is now available for digital purchase on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby,and all other major online retailers. He recently finished the recording of his follow-up album, ELEW Rockjazz Vol. 2, which will include covers of classics by artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Katy Perry to the Doors. The album is currently set for a 2012 release.

ELEW’s friend and longtime fan, filmmaker Bobby Kennedy III, recently finished filming a documentary feature about the pianist. You can watch a promotional excerpt at the film’s website.

Last year, ELEW was a participant in the early rounds of this year’s America’s Got Talent Competition. While he had to drop out of the contest in order to join Josh Groban on tour, the show recently aired exclusive footage of his AGT audition performance of “Sweet Home Alabama” that brought all three judges to their feet. Watch the performance here.

ELEW recently finished touring with Josh Groban as a featured performer on the superstar vocalist’s “Straight To You” Tour: sixty shows at Massive Arenas throughout the entirety of the United States and Canada. He has captivated thousands of people at some of the biggest stadiums in the United States: just him, a grand piano, and his trademark armor.