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Josh Nelson Trio: The Discovery Project: Live In Japan

by Dan Bilawsky
When pianist Josh Nelson's name surfaces in conversation, the art of the trio isn't typically a topic that comes up. A first-call accompanist and collaborator for the vocal elite, and a conceptualist who's crafted smartly arranged musical love letters to everything from steampunk sci-fi to the City of Los Angeles as part of his ongoing Discovery Project, Nelson is a creative force to be reckoned with. You just don't really hear much about triangular pursuits in his portfolio. That's what ...
Continue ReadingThe Lorca Hart Trio: Colors Of Jazz

by Edward Blanco
West Coast drummer Lorca Hart presents a collection of vibrant traditional jazz on the exciting Colors of Jazz, from the Lorca Hart Trio augmented by saxophonist Ralph Moore. Offering a mix of original compositions with four cover tunes, the canvas of nine sparkling pieces paints a portrait that's far more than pleasing to the ear, it's quite compelling. Originally from Taos, New Mexico and son of jazz great and drummer Billy Hart, Hart is an in-demand player and educator at ...
Continue ReadingJosh Nelson: The Sky Remains

by Dan Bilawsky
Josh Nelson has seen quite a bit in recent times, diving deep into the human psyche with singer Sara Gazarek, moving through inner spaces with vibraphonist Tyler Blanton, exploring retrofuturistic realms inspired by the writings of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, and touching down on Mars for a thorough musical exploration of the Red Planet. So where could he possibly want to go after traveling so far and wide with his pen and piano? Right back home, of course. With ...
Continue ReadingJosh Nelson: Exploring Mars

by Dan Bilawsky
Exploring Mars is fueled by a love of science fiction, intellectual inquisitiveness, and musical inventiveness of the highest order. Pianist Josh Nelson, initially inspired by the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars in the summer of 2012, put together a project that's musically expansive and wholly unique: It's safe to say that he's the first person to tie together author Ray Bradbury's writings, original music that ranges from the friendly to the far-out, tributes to four rover landings, and ...
Continue ReadingJosh Nelson: Exploring Mars

by Dan McClenaghan
Mars, the forth planet from the sun--that blood red star arcing across the sky--has been investigated by many in the arts. Before NASA landed four rovers on the red planet's surface, science fiction writers took up the task of exploring our planetary neighbor: Edgar Rice Burroughs with his fantastic Barsoom series, beginning with Princess of Mars (1917), Ray Bradbury with the poetic Martian Chronicles (1950), and Kim Stanley Robinson with his superb, adventurous and scientifically fact-based Red Mars (1993 are ...
Continue ReadingJosh Nelson: Discoveries

by Dan Bilawsky
Nothing fuels the creative impulses like the art of discovery. A new chord voicing can unlock a door to a different world, and different rhythmic permutations can prove to be an endless source of inspiration, but discovering these things and utilizing them to good effect are two different things. Few artists can see the world through the eyes of the uninitiated while writing with the intellect of the musical elite, but pianist Josh Nelson is one of them.
Continue ReadingTake Five With Josh Nelson

by AAJ Staff
Meet Josh Nelson: Josh Nelson, born and raised in Southern California, maintains an active and creative schedule as a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and recording artist. At 33 years old, he has already performed with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Natalie Cole, Anthony Wilson, Robert Hurst, Jeff Hamilton, Ralph Moore, Albert “Tootie" Heath, Seamus Blake, Matt Wilson, Sara Gazarek, Ernie Watts, Jack Sheldon, Tom Scott, Peter Erskine, Abe Laboriel, and Alex Acuna, to name ...
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