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“I do feel the need to say, ‘I am a jazz musician,’ but I’ve been in these other fields of music, and I do find them all related,” said pianist Paul Cornish.
(Photo: Piper Fergusion)Blue Note Records has been on a tear since late 2024, releasing new work by Immanuel Wilkins, Out Of/Into (formerly known as The Blue Note Quintet), Gerald Clayton, Joshua Redman, The Openness Trio (consisting of guitarist/producer Nate Mercereau, saxophonist Josh Johnson and percussionist Carlos Niño), a debut album by trumpeter Brandon Woody and, in short, making the case that it’s not just a catalog label by asserting its relevance in contemporary jazz.
And now the label is presenting the debut album of another young lion, the delightful Paul Cornish (who also happens to play in Joshua Redman’s combo).
Cornish is no stranger to being surrounded and nurtured by a strong lineage. In 2014, he graduated from the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, a school that counts fellow pianist/composers Robert Glasper and Jason Moran as notable alumni. Remarkably, Glasper recently stated, “Continuing the legendary lineage of Houston pianists while still carving out your own lane is not an easy feat. There is no history without the now. Paul is the now … and I’m Not Exaggerating!!!” The later exclamation is a play on Cornish’s debut album title: You’re Exaggerating.
Cornish chatted via Zoom on a bucolic June day. The Los Angeles-based pianist/composer wore horn-rimmed glasses and two of his locks were adorned with cowrie shells.
When asked about his relationship with jazz, he shared, “I care specifically about this music that has poured so much into me. I feel like I’m where I am because of what this music has meant to me.” So what does he say about being categorized as a jazz musician though his discography is chock full of collaborations with non-jazz artists including r&b singer Snoh Aalegra and rockers HAIM?
“I do feel the need to say, ‘I am a jazz musician,’ but I’ve been in these other fields of music, and I do find them all related.”
You’re Exaggerating is absolutely a jazz recording with something for new fans and seasoned jazz lovers alike. The album glows with youth and vigor, featuring Cornish leading a lithe trio with distinctive bassist Joshua Crumbly and drummer Jonathan Pinson. Idiosyncratic guitarist Jeff Parker sits in on a notable track called “Palindrome.”
“The youngest composition on the record was from 2019,” Cornish divulged. “I’d been trying to get Joshua and Jonathan in the studio for a while, but they’re both incredibly busy … and rightfully so. I’ve been working on it for a while, but it was [recorded in] three days [during December 2023].”
An apt introduction to the world of Paul Cornish is his composition “DB Song.” As he clarifies, “It seems like a very simple and catchy song, but there’s a lot happening within the framework. I think that explains the dynamic of what’s happening in my brain, but also the way the trio plays together.”
Cornish lists Thelonious Monk, Jason Moran, Geri Allen and Ahmad Jamal as inspirations. He considers Glasper in particular to be a key influence: “He just created a window … a lane to see myself in the music.”
After high school, Cornish attended the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA, where he completed his master’s degree. And today, You’re Exaggerating reflects the artist’s still-flowering philosophy.
“The process of getting older,” Cornish says, “you realize not everything that you see and hear is true, even if it appears to be. [The album title represents] an invitation for people to take a second look and see if there’s a certain thing that we’re overlooking … or we’re too prideful to acknowledge … that maybe changes reality.”
But he also offers a lighthearted twist to the title’s definition. “It’s equally as valid to be interpreted as, ‘Oh, this is just not serious.’ I tend to be an overthinker, but I love joking about that. Some of my favorite artists like Louis Cole or Thundercat [create a] high level of art, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.”
Cornish took every opportunity to make each aspect of You’re Exaggerating a form of intentional communication, right down to the cover art, a silhouette of Cornish backlit in moody blue. “I’m not the type of person to take selfies or wear bright colors and say, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ I think there’s the tendency of new breaking artists, especially in jazz, to be flashy,” he said. “I don’t see how that lasts.”
Another key to understanding Cornish’s point of view is factoring in the influence of his devout upbringing. “We were Seventh Day Adventists,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the Saturday after I was born, I was in church. That’s definitely something that’s very important to me and guides me now.”
According to Cornish, Los Angeles, which he’s called home for about a decade, possesses “some quirkiness to it and some groundedness to it. I found a really cool community out here. There’s this DIY grassroots spirit in this scene that’s been really cool.”
That’s not to say he isn’t still paying attention to the creative scene in his native Houston, from Solange’s Eldorado Ballroom programming to ongoing residencies happening at Rick Lowe’s Project Row Houses. “I really care about Houston and the scene that’s there. It has been such a great export of talent that people appreciate globally, but I don’t think that’s necessarily been fostered in the same way within the city. There is a bridge there of seeing someone like Solange embrace more experimental projects. That all enriches the community in a lot of ways.”
There’s the sense that all of his multifaceted influences and experiences have resulted in a new artist with uncommon depth.
“I’m doing this debut, I’m 28, which isn’t old, but I feel like it’s old in the sense of a breaking new artist,” Cornish said. “I think there’s this unspoken pressure that I feel, or I felt, and also my peers have felt. If we don’t get recognized young, then maybe we’ve missed the boat. I think everyone just feels this pressure to do whatever they need to do to be seen.”
Ultimately, Cornish offered, “The more people are actually OK with who they actually are, the more we can actually see each other.” DB
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