I first knew of Josiah Wade because one of his remarkable jazz piano recordings came up in my YouTube feed. I enjoyed the performance and bookmarked it for a future post. Then, as often happens, I forgot about it. (Honestly, there are snowdrifts of post ideas in my drafts folder… It’s shameful.) But recently, YouTube delivered to me the first recording below. Josiah Wade, that same talented young pianist that turned my head with his mastery of an Adele song, was absolutely killing Clair de Lune, one of my favorite pieces of all time! Who knew? (Everyone but me, apparently.)

In my (admittedly limited) experience, it’s pretty unusual for someone to show equal facility with both improvisational jazz and traditional classical music, especially on the piano. From what I understand, the techniques are completely different. But Josiah Wade manages to be marvelous at both. He’s aware of the dichotomy, too, posting YouTube shorts with titles like “When you’re a classical pianist at heart and a jazz pianist by nature.”

I’m a bit distressed to report that this incredibly-talented young pianist has been making ends meet by working construction. I hope he’s insured those hands, and I hope he finds enough success to be able to focus on his music. He’s clearly meant for this.

You can follow Josiah Wade on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.