Live From The Pumphouse captures the raw, unfiltered magic of jazz in its purest form: a conversation between musician and listener, bound together in the moment. Recorded live in an intimate setting, this EP reflects the dynamic exchange of energy that only happens in front of a live audience. The warmth and immediacy of the crowd fueled every note, guiding the improvisations and pushing the boundaries of creativity. This collection is more than just music; it's a connection. Rooted in the spirit of community, Live From The Pumphouse embodies jazz as it was originally intended: a truly discussion-oriented type of music, rich with spontaneity, emotion, and mutual expression. It celebrates the power of being present, where each performance becomes a singular, unrepeatable story shared by everyone in the room. Drawing from my Appalachian and Mexican heritage, this project blends folkloric elements with jazz improvisation, creating a sound that's both deeply personal and universally resonant.

TRACK LIST
Take the “A” Train - Live
Yesterday - Live
Michoacán - Live
And So It Goes - Live
Appalachian Wanderer - Live

Songs From Yesterday is my heartfelt sophomore album. Following the success of my 2022 single And So It Goes, which broke into Spotify’s Global Jazz Top 40, this trio album reflects my life, heritage, and musical influences. Inspired by the introspection of the pandemic, I explored themes of my childhood in the conservative southern USA, grappling with my Mexican and Appalachian roots, racial identity, and sexuality. My music blends American traditions like jazz, folk, and blues, with classical and pop influences, drawing from artists such as Chick Corea, Shai Maestro, and Maurice Ravel. The album features five original compositions alongside reinterpretations of songs by Lennon/McCartney, Billy Joel, and Leonard Cohen. With the trio’s virtuosic sound, a fusion of shimmering harmonies, Appalachian melodies, Latin grooves, and chamber music aesthetics, I aim to expand jazz's reach, offering listeners a deeply personal, genre-spanning experience. Dedicated to my family and supporters, the album showcases music’s ability to heal and connect.

"...a complete triumph." - All About Jazz

‟...a testament to the innovation that Espinoza brings to the art of the piano trio." - Jazz in Europe

"An extraordinary work rooted in deep personal reflections." - Jazz in Family (Italy)

TRACK LIST
Adrift
Appalachian Wanderer
Happy Song
Yesterday
Michoacán
Eleanor Rigby
Don’t Fan the Flame
Hallelujah

Created in the quietude of the pandemic lockdown, these piano compositions reflect my journey into introspection, meditation, and the profound power of music to heal. Each piece is a journey inward, inviting listeners to reconnect with the stillness we so often overlook. Among the highlights is my reimagined version of “Morning Has Broken”, where its timeless melody is imbued with a sense of resilience and renewal, reflecting on a year of loss. Through tender improvisation and subtle harmonies, this arrangement captures the essence of dawn breaking through darkness, a hopeful reminder of new beginnings. This collection is more than a reflection of isolation; it’s a testament to the transformative potential of music in times of uncertainty. My hope is to offer a space for solace, connection, and renewal: a sonic sanctuary for the soul.

Journey Into Night draws deeply from my own well of lived experiences, transforming raw emotion and personal moments into evocative compositions. Inspired by the enigmatic allure of twilight, this album blends the spontaneity of jazz with the depth of introspection: capturing the quiet revelations that emerge in those still, shadowed hours, and reflecting upon what it most important. Through layered soundscapes, intricate melodies, and rich reharmonizations, I aim to evoke the profound and the unseen: the emotional nuances of ephemeral memories, nocturnal imagery, and the depth of thought that night so often inspires and refocuses. Journey Into Night was the first time I truly expressed myself as an artist, and the project is rooted in deep personal reflections. Growing up as a queer and closeted child, in a conservative southern family, my identity was heavily controlled by religion and society. Like an actor playing a role that was neither authentic or honest, my daily concern was to put on a good show, masking myself, afraid of humiliation and rejection. Daytime became a burden. Yet in the nighttime, when I was alone, I was finally free. I could dream, journal, process who I truly was without fear of estrangement. My greatest solace was music, spending hours upon hours each night listening to my favorite songs, coping with the intense stress of “hiding” during the day. At the heart of this album is an unconventional approach to popular nostalgic songs, with original compositions feeling both familiar and unplaceable. “Streetlight Serenade” represents this desire to live authentically, to exist in public, “in the streets”, without feeling the need to hide. “Nocturne for Annamarie”, inspired by Chopin, is a lullaby penned to comfort my inner child, allowing me to cope from the trauma of hiding myself, much like I escaped into Chopin’s expressive harmonies in my youth. “Unwelcome Dream” represents the trauma of hiding my identity and the anguish associated with fearing rejection, ending completely unresolved and fiery, like waking up from a nightmare without a happy resolution. “Birdsong” is about coming to terms with and accepting my queer identity: the true daylight at the end of the dark night of the soul. Birds serve as a symbol of hope, their songs spark joy, and this joyful composition represents my own, finally feeling comfortable in my skin. My original compositions and my covers serve as a mirror: curated windows into the playlists I saw my younger self in. “In My Life” represents coming to terms with both the good and the bad experiences, learning from them and moving forward. The lyric “all these places had their moments” puts in sharp relief that all experiences are a learning opportunity, shaping who we are as people, as my darkest moments sculpted me. “Shenandoah”, a folk song inspired by the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, is a reconciliation of my Appalachian roots. Appalachian culture is complicated and beautiful, but I had difficulty embracing it because of my “otherness”. Growing up in the shadow of Appalachia as a dark-skinned Mexican-presenting queer child, I felt distinctly out of place. Family members, acquaintances, and strangers would make disparaging remarks about Mexicans and gay people, which exacerbated my strong desire to hide and cover up who I was inside. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I came to terms with the beauty of Appalachian culture and embodied forgiveness for things both real and perceived. “Shenandoah” is a personal meditation on the complexities of my Appalachian identity, and a love-letter so-to-speak to my mountain-dwelling ancestors whom I resented for a good portion of my life. This album closes with “Desperado”, a song that comforted me as a child. At its center is the story of a “prodigal son,” a character who departs from their familial home to establish independence and is criticized (“why don’t you come to your senses?”) for doing so. However, at its core, the narrator desires a relationship with the “prodigal son” and expresses love and acceptance, “there’s a rainbow above you… you better let somebody love you” in the end. I complete the album with this song, because at the end of my journey I found self-acceptance and comfort in my identity, as complicated as it may be. For me, the narrator and the main character are the same person, and the song is about loving yourself and making amends with past self-judgments and shame. Even a desperado returns home to their true self.

‟Espinoza has an elegant touch...exquisitely done..." - All About Jazz

‟A strong classical impression...with an explosion of freedom that jazz offers." - Jazz in Family (Italy)

‟...one of the most exciting up-coming pianists..." - Jazz in Europe

‟Espinoza is a powerful storyteller on his instrument." - CapitalBop

‟...a lively journey into a surreal world of imagination." - Cambridge Chronicle

TRACK LIST
Always Something There to Remind Me
In My Life
Streetlight Serenade
Nocturne for Annamarie
Take the “A” Train
Shenandoah
Unwelcome Dream
Birdsong
Desperado

Songs of My Heritage explores the rich intersectionality of my complex identity, rooted in the vibrant traditions of Mexican and Appalachian cultures. By weaving together folkloric elements from both heritages, the spontaneity of jazz improvisation, and the precision of classical compositional techniques, I weave a tapestry of sound that bridges cultures and genres. Each piece invites listeners on a journey through the shared humanity of these disparate traditions, celebrating the beauty of fusion and the power of storytelling through melody and rhythm.

At the heart of my work is a deep respect for the jazz tradition and a desire to expand its reach by rethinking what belongs in the canon. While jazz has long celebrated the brilliance of the Great American Songbook and its master composers, I believe there is an untapped richness in the works of 20th-century singer-songwriters, artists whose storytelling and melodies have shaped the lives of millions. By weaving masterpieces from these songwriters into a jazz context, my goal is to create a bridge for listeners who may feel intimidated or unfamiliar with traditional jazz. These are songs that resonate, songs people know and love, and when reinterpreted through jazz improvisation and harmonic exploration, they offer a fresh way to connect with both the music and the genre. The Beatles always personally resonated with me too; their songs are about processing personal loss and trying situations, imbued with deep personal reflections. My performances welcome new voices into the jazz audience, broadening the possibilities for what jazz can be, and showing that its spirit of innovation and reinvention is alive and well. By modernizing the jazz canon in this way, I hope to invite people on a journey where the familiar meets the unexpected, and timeless songs find new life in the ever-evolving language of jazz.

Joshua Espinoza Trio
Selected Tour History

2023 - 2024 Season

04/20/24: First Presbyterian Church (Davenport, IA)
04/03/24: Keystone Korner (Baltimore, MD)
01/28/24: Holy Trinity Church (Gainesville, FL)
01/27/24: Pilar’s Loft (Winter Garden, FL)
01/26/24: St. James Episcopal (Ormond Beach, FL)
11/17/23: Miller Symphony Hall (Allentown, PA)
11/02/23: Sewanee Music Center (Sewanee, TN)
10/02/23: Blues Alley (Washington, DC)
10/10/23: Spire Concert Series (Baltimore, MD)
09/22/23: Milburn Stone Theater (North East, MD)

2022 - 2023 Season

04/16/23: Scholes Street Studio (Brooklyn, NY)
04/15/23: Community Concerts of Greenwich (Greenwich, CT)
04/14/23: Dimensions in Jazz (Portland, ME)
04/13/23: Cultural Center of Cape Cod (Yarmouth, MA)
03/18/23: University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA)
03/17/23: Montpelier Arts Center (Laurel, MD)
02/02/23: Kunsthaus Essen (Essen, Germany)
11/07/22: Blues Alley (Washington, DC)
11/06/22: Lutheran Church by the Lake (McCormick, SC)
11/05/22: Chatt Hills Music (Atlanta, GA)
11/04/22: Sigal Music Museum (Greenville, SC)
11/02/22: Keystone Korner Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)

2021 - 2022 Season

05/15/22: College of Southern Maryland (Prince Frederick, MD)
05/02/22: Glen Korff School of Music Residency (Lincoln, NE)
04/08/22: Studio A (Austin, TX)
04/07/22: University of Texas, San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
04/02/22: The Front Porch (Charlottesville, VA)
04/01/22: Origins Jazz Series (Lexington, KY)
03/31/22: Caffè Vivace (Cincinnati, OH)
03/30/22: The Bop Stop (Cleveland, OH)
03/27/22: The Jazz Kitchen (Indianapolis, IN)
03/26/22: Oxmoor Farm Evenings of Note (Louisville, KY)
03/25/22: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Chattanooga, TN)
03/19/22: Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD)
01/21/22: The Green Room @ Crosstown Arts (Memphis, TN)
01/17 - 01/20/22: University of Central Arkansas Residency (Conway, AR)
01/16/22: Latta Theater (Selmer, TN)
01/15/22: Rudy’s Jazz Room (Nashville, TN)
11/14/21: Reformation Lutheran Church (Newport News, VA)
11/13/21: Sharp Nine Gallery (Durham, NC)
11/12/21: White Horse Black Mountain (Black Mountain, NC)
11/11/21: Gloria Faye Dingus Music Alliance (Warrenton, VA)
11/10/21: Keystone Korner (Baltimore, MD)

2020 - 2021 Season

06/30/21: Keystone Korner (Baltimore, MD)
05/27/21: DC Jazz Fest Series (Washington, DC)
11/15/20: Reformation Lutheran Church (Newport News, VA) CANCELLED
11/14/20: Sharp Nine Gallery (Durham, NC) CANCELLED
11/13/20: Charlottesville Jazz Society (Charlottesville, VA) CANCELLED
11/12/20: Gloria Faye Dingus Music Alliance (Warrenton, VA) CANCELLED
10/18/20: Lutheran Church by the Lake (McCormick, SC) CANCELLED
10/17/20: Lancaster Cultural Arts Center (Lancaster, SC) CANCELLED
10/16/20: All Saints Episcopal Church (Hilton Head, SC) CANCELLED
10/15/20: Davidson College Concert Series (Davidson, NC) CANCELLED

2019 - 2020 Season

04/19/20: College of Southern Maryland (Prince Frederick, MD) CANCELLED
04/17/20: An Die Musik Live! Concert with Warren Wolf (Baltimore, MD)
10/06/19: Lenoir-Rhyne University (Hickory, NC)
10/05/19: Sharp Nine Gallery (Durham, NC)
10/04/19: Furman University (Greenville, SC)
09/09/19: Blues Alley (Washington, DC)
07/22/19: Keystone Korner (Baltimore, MD)
06/20/19: An Die Musik Live! (Baltimore, MD)
04/16/19: Missouri Southern State University (Joplin, MO)
04/15/19: Charlotte House Concert Series (Kansas City, MO)

“Yesterday Solo” (2020)

“Unwelcome Dream” (2018)

“In My Life” (2018)