Long before he released his full-length debut album, Let Sound Tell All, in June 2022, New York City-based pianist and multi-instrumentalist Julius Rodriguez was already a hot commodity in the jazz community.
For jazz aficionados, his upbringing is the stuff of modern-day legend: When he was 11 years old, Rodriguez's dad was already driving him from their home in White Plains into the city so that he could play at jam sessions at the West Village jazz club Smalls. Despite being half (or even one-third) the age of his fellow performers, he left a major impression on the crowd, – honing an already well established style that, years later, would earn him acceptance into Julliard. He studied there for over a year, but dropped out to launch his performing career by going on tour with A$AP Rocky.
In this episode of Press Play at Home, Rodriguez' early influences of jamming in small jazz clubs are on full display. His sprightly performance of "Blues At The Barn" evokes a night out in an intimate NYC club, even though the performance was filmed at home in the middle of the day. A drummer and bass player form a classic jazz trio with Rodriguez, who handles the lively main melody on his Yamaha upright piano.
With an impressive resume as a musician at the age of 23, Rodriguez is now introducing himself as an artist in his own right with Let Sound Tell All. "Blues At The Barn" is the first on that nine-track collection, serving as an expertly executed nod to his jazz jam roots.
But Rodriguez isn't tied to classic jazz trio convention in his new album. On the contrary, songs like "Where Grace Abounds" bring gospel influence into the music, and offer narratives that — while still primarily instrumental — are more inspired by the artist's personal history and feelings than they are by established jazz traditions.
Another track, "In Heaven," actually features vocals — courtesy of fellow-NYC-based jazz act Samara Joy — and elaborates further on the gospel background that Rodriguez picked up in church, where he earned a substantial component of his early musical education.
As he rises to jazz fame, Rodriguez is demonstrating a lively, inspired talent within the genre's conventions while also infusing his own personal musical identity and history into the music. Press play above to watch the pianist perform one of Let Sound Tell All's more upbeat tracks, and keep checking GRAMMY.com for more episodes of Press Play at Home.