Joshua Banks' "Para Sayo"
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
12:00pm to 2:00pm
Part of: Edmonton International Jazz Festival
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Celebrating the release of his inaugural album as a bandleader, Joshua Banks' "Para Sayo" endeavours to artistically capture the impact diaspora plays on identity and the struggle to reclaim ancestry within westernized society.
Inspired by the auditory character of asian contemporary jazz, fusion, and classical artists as Kie Katagi, Hiromi Uehara, and Nahre Sol, and featuring both vocal lyrics and spoken word in Tagalog and Filipino-Indigenous Ibaloi, the Edmonton pianist and composer consolidates his western musical identity in the jazz and classical genres with his Indigenous Filipino roots.
Joshua would like to acknowledge that his career in playing Black American Music is
possible because of the Black musicians that have and continue to pave the way for all jazz
musicians. He acknowledges and is grateful for the privilege that has allowed him to practice and
enjoy the music of this African-American cultural tradition.
8627 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury
Edmonton, AB, T6C 3N1