The name Joshua White may not be familiar to you. But if you follow jazz at all, you will soon be hearing a lot more about him. White and his trio will be performing on Friday night at The Edye at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
From the opening notes of The Ignoble Parody of Modernity on his 2017 recording 13 Short Stories, you hear that he is a pianist who both embraces the old and turns it completely on its head. He’s rooted in the past, but with a distinctly unique style all his own.
As a young boy, White studied classical piano. He played piano and organ at his church in the San Diego area as a teenager. It was at the age of 17 that he was first introduced to the world of jazz and he hasn’t looked back.
A few years later he placed second at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition prompting Herbie Hancock to say, “I believe Thelonious Monk would have been proud of the performance of this great young artist.”
White appears to put the bulk of his attention towards new material when playing with his trio. Alex Boneham plays bass in the trio and Tyler Kreutel plays drums. They will be playing a 90-minute set in the intimate space of The Edye.
For tickets go here. (Note: As of our deadline, all table seats had been sold, but general admission tickets remain.)
Photo of Joshua White by Eduardo Contreras courtesy of the artist