Josh Nelson- piano, Hamilton Price- bass, Kevin Kanner- drums. On "I Hear a Rhapsody" (new album, 2009) add Tom Catanzaro- sax, Ben Wendel- sax, Sam Minaie- bass, Zach Harmon- drums.
Influences
Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Dave Kikoski, Mulgrew Miller, Chick Corea, Kenny Kirkland, Woody Shaw, Kenny Garrett, Radiohead, Coldplay, Brad Mehldau, Larry Goldings, Robert Glasper, Kneebody, Dayna Stephens, Alan Pasqua, Bill Cunliffe, Dmitri Shostakovich, The Bad Plus, Jean-Michel Pilc, Ari Hoenig, Bill Mays, Eliane Elias, Thomas Ades, Cecilia Coleman, East West Quintet, New West Guitar Quartet
“Josh is that rare young musician who has not only a wealth of study and experience under his belt but he also possesses those rarest of musical attributes: a touch, a tone, and a sound that are all identifiably his own.”
-Peter Erskine, drummer/composer/educator
For the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed record "Let It Go", Los Angeles-based pianist-composer-arranger-bandleader Josh Nelson surrounded himself with some of his closest friends to produce the music for I Hear a Rhapsody. A wealth of influences can be heard on this ambitious fourth outing, and conceptually, it’s an incremental leap from the 30-year-old’s self-produced first outing as a leader, 1998’s "First Stories." “On that recording, as well as on "Anticipation" (2004) and "Let it Go" (2007), I was still in an intense growth period as a player and writer. This latest record speaks so strongly to what I’ve always wanted to say and express in music,” explains Nelson, a semi-finalist in the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
“This record was an opportunity to try to integrate all of the melodies, rhythms, and harmonies that I have been cultivating since my early twenties. It’s a pivotal recording for me, and I’m very proud of it. I’m also very pleased that a few interpretations of jazz standards were also represented on this project. My love for the Great American Songbook is strong, and I spend a good deal of my time playing those great show tunes. It’s worthwhile to note that a substantial part of my childhood was spent acting and participating in musical theater, as well as developing a love of movie scores. That would help explain the diversity of the compositions you hear on this record – I strive to speak to all of my influences! I continue to experiment with instrument combinations, odd meters, and reharmonization. However, my goal on this album was to balance those aspects with playability and allow my talented friends the space to interpret the music in their own special way.”
While there are flashes of soloistic brilliance throughout I Hear a Rhapsody, it’s the scope of Josh’s fully-realized pieces and his attention to dynamics within each tune that most impresses here. The supporting musicians all contribute well-executed and playfully creative ideas to Josh’s solid material, and that makes for a highly listenable and engaging record, from beginning to end.
Born in Long Beach California, Josh Nelson grew up around Los Angeles and soon became immersed in the L.A. jazz scene in his early twenties. During his high school years, Josh received the Louis Armstrong Award, the John Phillip Sousa Award, as well as numerous "Outstanding Soloist Awards" at music competitions around the country. He received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Piano from Long Beach State University, where he studied with the versatile pianist and composer Cecilia Coleman. “She was my first major teacher and I really look up to her. She helped me to foster a deep understanding and appreciation for the jazz idiom” says Josh. “I studied with her for about five years and she taught me so much. I still consider her my main mentor.” While at the Berklee College of Music Summer Programs in Boston and L.A., he studied with Neil Olmstead, Tiger Okoshi and Kim Steiner. Nelson’s other important mentors during these formative years in jazz were pianists and composers Bill Cunliffe and Alan Pasqua. “Bill is coming from a place of compositional exploration, though he has so much tradition in his playing. He’s also got quite a classical and film score appreciation and brings that into his music. And Alan is a huge influence on my playing and writing as well. His beautiful touch at the piano is such a strong aspect of his musicianship. His album Milagro, where he utilized a larger ensemble, left a lasting impression on me.”
Important to mention his die-hard list of favorite jazz pianists, of which he spent endless college nights scouring the used CD bins at Tower Records instead of saving his hard earned cash (he’s glad those days are over): Herbie Hancock, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Kirkland, Hank Jones, Geoff Keezer, Dave Kikoski, Michel Petrucciani….and many more of course.
Josh received the $10,000 Tom Talbert Scholarship from the Long Beach State Jazz Studies Department and was a member of many honor groups, including the SCSBOA Honor Jazz Band, the SCSBOA All-Stars and the Grammy NARAS Band. He has toured the United States, Asia, and Canada with vocalists Natalie Cole and Sara Gazarek, as well as with the Hollywood Pops Orchestra and the Ars Nova Chamber Ensemble. He has performed with film composer Michael Kamen, Monty Python co-founder Eric Idle and actors Jon Lovitz, Clint Eastwood, and singer/actress Queen Latifah. Compositions and performances of his have appeared on the television shows "The Division" (Lifetime), "Lucky”(FX), and “Jack and Bobby”(Warner Bros.), as well as the films “Use as Directed”, “Freedom Flyers of Tuskegee,” and “First Daughter”. Josh has had the privilege to perform with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Seamus Blake, Matt Wilson, Anthony Wilson, Ralph Moore, Christian McBride, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Ernie Watts, Alex Acuna, Abe Laboriel, Jack Sheldon, Peter Erskine, Bob Hurst, Justo Almario, and Karriem Riggins.
Josh keeps a busy performance and recording schedule in Southern California, playing regularly with his own trio and quintet around Los Angeles while also working as a highly sought-after accompanist for many top-notch vocalists, including the legendary Natalie Cole and young songstress Sara Gazarek. He is currently on Adjunt Faculty of Jazz Studies at Soka University in Aliso Viejo, California and also teaches privately.
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again:
It was fun seeing you on the Tonight Show...........always great to see and hear you. I hope your holidays are full of love, peace, joy, good health.... and that 2009 is all that you could hope for! xx, Andrea
Thanks Josh for the moment and the songS! I also LOVED "Ambiguous" or was it "Nebulous"...I'm not great with titles....something very, uh Christmasy about it...I bet you hear that all the time! You're great and I am glad to know you. A tres bientot! Andrea
