Why you should listen to Eric Lewis?

Not without a struggle (and a measure of healthy angst), acclaimed pianist Eric Lewis is driving the next evolution of jazz — forging new musical alloys of classic blue note scuttles, delicate improvisations and heady alt rock hooks. Now, with a roster of sold-out shows and a growing list of celebrity supporters, his iconoclastic arrangements are fast catching insular music communities’ attention. His possessed, finger-bloodying performances have erased a few old taboos, too: Miles Davis and Linkin Park suddenly seem less dissimilar.

Eric Lewis, an astonishingly talented crossover jazz pianist — seen by many for the first time at TED2009 — sets in this TED-talki fire to the keys with his shattering rendition of Evanescence’s chart-topper, Going Under.