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Joshua Espinoza

An avid performer and educator, Baltimore pianist Joshua Espinoza balances his time sharing music on the stage and off. As a performer, Espinoza has played with renowned artists including Warren Wolf, Paul Bollenback, Miho Hazama, Alex Norris, John D’earth, Mike Pope, Kris Funn, Brian Settles, Todd Marcus, Chuck Redd, Ryan McGillicudy, Eugene Goss, and Gail Wynters, and on national stages including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, The Kennedy Center, the Barns at Wolftrap, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Keystone Korner Baltimore. With a style that is tastefully modern yet firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, Espinoza blends and bends genres into original compositions and arrangements that are immediately relatable, yet hard to define.

Currently a member of the music faculty at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Espinoza was named "Most Promising Semi-Finalist" in the UNISA International Jazz Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa (2016). Each summer, Espinoza serves on the piano faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI and was previously on the faculties of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Franklin College (IN), and Morehead State University (KY). Espinoza holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from Furman University (SC) and an M.M. in Jazz Studies (minor in classical piano) from Indiana University.

Currently, Espinoza is a freelance performer in Baltimore, MD. His trio's debut album "Journey Into Night" was released on June 14, 2019 to critical acclaim. Visit his website for upcoming performances: www.joshuaespinoza.com.

Awards

Semi-Finalist - 2016 UNISA International Jazz Piano Competition (Pretoria, South Africa)


Tags

8
Album Review

Joshua Espinoza: Songs From Yesterday

Read "Songs From Yesterday" reviewed by Neil Duggan


The period of reflection afforded by the pandemic continues to provide fertile ground for musical expression. For pianist Joshua Espinoza, it gave him time to reflect on childhood and his early musical memories. This eventually evolved into his second album, Songs of Yesterday. This follows on from his first release, Journey Into Night (Self-produced, 2019). With Mexican and Appalachian parents, Espinoza has two distinct strands of musical heritage to draw upon. He explores both, alongside bassist Kris Monson ...

1
Album Review

Joshua Espinoza: Journey Into Night

Read "Journey Into Night" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


"Sento che la mia arte abita lo spazio tra jazz e musica classica. Sono innamorato di compositori come Debussy, Ravel, Chopin ma cerco la libertà di Art Tatum e Bill Evans." Con queste parole il giovane pianista di Baltimora, Joshua Espinoza, si presenta in occasione del debutto in trio con Mikel Combs al contrabbasso e Jaron Lamar Davis alla batteria. Le coordinate stilistiche di fondo sono quelle delineate nell'ultimo ventennio da Brad Mehldau ma Espinoza mostra ottime doti: ...

4
Album Review

Joshua Espinoza Trio: Journey Into Night

Read "Journey Into Night" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


“Let's all get up, And dance to a tune That was a hit Before your mother was born." So said Paul McCartney, way back in another century, on the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol, 1968). On his debut release, pianist Joshua Espinoza gets into that McCartney-esque frame of mind (sitting at the keyboard rather than dancing), opening with Burt Bacharach's classic “Always Something There to Remind Me," released as a single by Lou ...

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"Espinoza has an elegant touch...exquisitely done." - All About Jazz
"Journey Into Night is a must-have album...highly recommended." - Jazz in Europe
"Espinoza is a powerful storyteller on his instrument." - CapitalBop
Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

Baltimore

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Songs From Yesterday

Self Produced
2023

buy

The Ellis Marsalis...

Nu Jazz Records/Nu Jazz Entertainment
2020

buy

Journey Into Night

Self Produced
2019

buy

Videos

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