On his striking debut album Para Sayo, Edmonton-based pianist and composer Joshua Banks announces himself as a powerful new voice in contemporary jazz. Released on May 16, 2025, this stunning project blends Banks’ classical training with the dynamic influence of Asian jazz luminaries like Hiromi Uehara, Kie Katagi, and Nahre Sol. The result is a uniquely expressive and deeply personal sonic journey.
The nine-track album was meticulously refined over two years, with Banks channeling his own experience as an Asian/Filipino-Canadian to create music that speaks to both his identity and artistic vision. “I was born here in Canada,” Banks explains, “but I have nothing from ‘there’—my family’s homeland. This album is an exploration of what it means to find space as an Asian artist, and to make room for our families, our people, and our cultures in the West.”
A key collaborator in shaping the emotional core of Para Sayo is lyricist Hazel Cavida, who contributed bilingual lyrics in English and Tagalog, helping to ground the album in Filipino cultural and linguistic roots. This collaborative spirit also extends to Banks’ mother, Corazon Banks, whose spoken word performance in Ibaloi—an Indigenous Philippine language—pays homage to ancestral history in a deeply moving track.
The album features an impressive roster of young Canadian musicians, including bassists Connor Milkman and Kessler Douglas, drummers Graeme Newburn and Joel Jeschke, saxophonists Dana Anderson and Nick Lange, and rapper Tea Fannie, who adds a dynamic verse to the final track. String arrangements bring additional richness, performed by Raphaelle Erdman, Louisa Lu, Yitian Fan, and Julian Eveneshen.
From field recordings to rap verses, from classical composition to cultural exploration, Para Sayo is more than a jazz debut—it’s an invitation into Joshua Banks’ world: one rooted in heritage, identity, and the endless possibility of sound.
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