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Paul Cornish

Los Angeles-based pianist and composer Paul Cornish strives to inspire freedom and collaboration in his music and community. Hailing from Houston where he was a student at the prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Cornish was one of seven jazz prodigies worldwide selected to be awarded a full fellowship to attend the esteemed Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA.

Cornish was recently a finalist in the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Piano Competition. In 2021, received 18th Street Arts Center’s (Los Angeles) Make Jazz Fellowship and was commissioned by the Apollo Chamber Players to write a piece for string quartet and two voices commemorating the centennial celebration of Houston’s Library System. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Cornish has performed extensively across the globe with such notable artists as Joshua Redman, Louis Cole, Mark Guiliana, Snoh Aalegra, Terrace Martin, Thumpasaurus and HAIM.


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5

Album Review

Jalen Baker: RePaved

Read "RePaved" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Occasionally, an album comes along that shakes up your thinking about what jazz can do. Jalen Baker's RePaved might be that album. On the surface, it is an eight- part suite about Houston's historic Black neighbourhoods, particularly the 3rd Ward, where Baker's family has deep roots spanning four generations. But on closer listening, it becomes more personal. Baker is not simply documenting places disappearing under the pressure of gentrification; he is keeping their memory alive through music. Baker ...

5

Album Review

Alden Hellmuth: Tether

Read "Tether" reviewed by Jack Kenny


Where will new musicians gain their experience? Alden Hellmuth, a saxophonist, composer, and improviser based in New York City, offers one compelling answer: by forging her own path. A graduate of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, she was awarded the 2025 German Jazz Prize for Debut Album of the Year and has appeared internationally at major venues and festivals, including the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, the Blue Note Jazz Festival, and International Jazz Day ...

7

Album Review

Gregory Groover Jr.: Old Knew

Read "Old Knew" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


With Old Knew, tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover Jr. offers a mature and deeply rooted statement that gracefully balances reverence for tradition with openness to spontaneous expression. Recorded without rehearsal and driven by a diverse group of top-tier collaborators, including Joel Ross on vibraphone, Paul Cornish on piano, Harish Raghavan on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums, this 11-track set reveals a leader eager to let the music flow, communicate, and develop in the moment. The result is a highly interactive ...

28

Album Review

Gregory Groover Jr.: Old Knew

Read "Old Knew" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Even though he has surely heard this more than a few times, Gregory Groover is a pretty hip name for a jazz saxophonist. Not so much for the pastor of Boston's Charles Street AME Church, the position held by the Groover for whom he is named, Gregory Sr., who no doubt grooves in his own way. Gregory Jr. plays high-energy tenor on Old Knew, the second recording under his name, wherein he leads a sturdy quintet through its paces on ...

4

Live Review

Paul Cornish Trio at BOP STOP

Read "Paul Cornish Trio at BOP STOP" reviewed by John Chacona


Paul Cornish Trio BOP STOP at the Music Settlement Cleveland, OHSeptember 5, 2025 Paul Cornish began his concert with a recording of a 1966 John Coltrane interview in Japan. Musicians invoke him all the time these days, but the great saxophonist/saint who ecstatically called the spirits makes an odd match with a pianist whose debut recording You're Exaggerating! (Blue Note, 2025) was measured, thoughtful and maybe a little cool. The first music ...

2

Radio & Podcasts

Pianist Paul Cornish, saxophonists Melissa Aldana, Felipe Salles, Nicole Glover and Jane Ira Bloom

Read "Pianist Paul Cornish, saxophonists Melissa Aldana, Felipe Salles, Nicole Glover and Jane Ira Bloom" reviewed by Hobart Taylor


New music from Blue Note's Paul Cornish, Felipe Salles joined by Jaques Schwarz-Bart, a chestnut from Chet Baker and introducing Ukrainian pianist Anton Mikhailov. Playlist Fabia Mantwill “Sleeping Giant" from In Sight (Initiative Musik) 00:00 Paul Cornish “Queen Geri" from You're Exaggerating (Blue Note) 5:53 Jaimie Branch “Theme 001" from Fly or Die Live (International Anthem) 10:06 Host Speaks 14:48 Alina Bzhezhinska “Warm Days, Cold Nights" from Whispers of Rain (Self-Produced) 16:22 Chet Baker George ...

3

Radio & Podcasts

Paul Cornish, Quite Sane, Silvia Bolognesi, Eric Mingus, Burnt Sugar & More

Read "Paul Cornish, Quite Sane, Silvia Bolognesi, Eric Mingus, Burnt Sugar & More" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Enjoy a playlist that bridges past, present and future--celebrating two decades of boundary-pushing music from Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber and Quite Sane, honoring the legacy of Gil Scott-Heron, and spotlighting rising voices like Paul Cornish and Alessio Cazzetta.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber “Back Pain" If You Can't Dazzle Them with Your Brilliance, Then Baffle Them with Your Blisluth Pt. Two (Avant ...

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Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Tether

Leiter
2026

buy

RePaved

Cellar Music Group
2026

buy

Words Fall Short

Blue Note Records
2025

buy

You’re Exaggerating!

Blue Note Records
2025

buy

Old Knew

Criss Cross
2025

buy

Who Are You When No...

Nettwerk Music Group
2023

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Indie

From: Who Are You When No One Is...
By Paul Cornish

Indie

From: Who Are You When No One Is...
By Paul Cornish

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