Indian-born, London-based pianist and composer Joel Paul steps into the spotlight with Roots, a contemporary jazz album that digs deep into heritage while blooming into modern expression. Available now on all platforms, the record arrives after years of cross-continental study and performance, from learning under Berklee alumnus Smarajeet Bhattacharya in India to graduating with distinction from Kingston University and carving out a place in Londonโs vibrant jazz scene.
Joined by Portuguese collaborators Rafael Silveira on double bass and Manuel Filgueiras on drums, Joel channels jazz traditions, Indian classical rhythmic craft, and Latin vitality into a sound that feels both richly personal and globally aware. Every composition grows from a โroot,โ a memory, cultural thread, or emotional lesson, making the album a storytelling journey as much as a musical one.
Right from the jump, the title track โRootsโ sets the pulse racing, with rapid-fire piano lines and echoing drum strikes building into a kinetic weave of tension and release, like history rushing forward through the present. Then, without breaking the spell, โNo Loveโ slips into softer light, piano phrases converse gently, as if confiding secrets, while the percussion rumbles loosely beneath, keeping things grounded even as emotion floats in the cracks.
Next, the nocturnal โMidnight Echoesโ hypnotises with a repeating ostinato, letting shadows stretch long as melodies shimmer above, evoking a city at 2 AM, thinking aloud. The mood gets nostalgic with โMelancholic Waltz,โ tender and swaying, as if remembering someone who once danced there with you. Then, like a left-turn in a dream, โSinister Syncopationโ comes with rhythms dodging expectations, and the trio toys with darkness. Finally, โHopeโ rises, not in a rush, but gently unfolding into brightness, its harmonies stepping toward tomorrow courageously.
Roots comes as a homecoming written in motion, reminding us that identity is carried in the music we make as we move through the world.
STAY IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan