Girshel Javakhishvili was born May 18, 1981 in Tbilisi, Georgia. When he was 10, he moved to his grandparents’ home in the countryside by the Black Sea. In between school and farm life, he joined a dance school which he avidly pursued.
When he was 15 years old, he moved back to Tbilisi. It was here that he met his lifelong friends and began developing his skills as a pianist. Despite growing up in a country rife with violence and political turmoil, Girshel managed to focus on his musical talent. At 16 he decided to take his craft seriously immersing himself in piano studies. He was recognized as a musical prodigy and was allowed to skip the 7-year preliminary course requirement to enter the Academy of Modern Art to study jazz piano. He also studied international cultural relations at the State Institute of Culture.
His talent was quickly recognized and he was given the coveted position of band leader for The Vano’s Show, the Georgian equivalent to The Tonight Show in the United States. Girshel’s love of jazz took him all over Europe. His easy-going and free-spirited nature helped him to quickly make friends wherever he travelled.
His thirst for jazz education drew him to the birth place of jazz itself – New York City. Girshel relished the opportunity to explore the same streets his musical icons walked. He played in many of the same legendary clubs. He performed and collaborated with numerous talented artists in New York and was a member of the Ideal Orkestra. Girshel accomplished his wildest dreams of living in NYC and becoming a true New York jazz musician.
He is survived by his wife Natasha, mother Mimosa (Mima), father Gurami, uncle Tengiz, brother George, sister-in-law Natia, nephew Luka, cousins Madona and Diana, close friend David and numerous friends around the world.