Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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JOSEPH, Julian

(b 11 May '66, London, England) Piano, composer. Big break came from invitation to tour with Branford Marsalis while at Berklee, returned to UK something of a hero. Immersed in the local scene and much touted as the finest homegrown talent since Courtney Pine, his debut album was uneven: The Language Of Truth '91 on East West/Atlantic has Mark Mondesir on drums, Alec Dankworth on bass, Jean Toussaint on tenor sax, but wavered uncertainly between sophisticated jazz and average soul; but he improved with follow-up Reality '93 (with Charnett Moffett replacing Dankworth, and adding Peter King and Wayne Batchelor) and even more on Universal Traveller '96 (with Mondesir and Reginald Veal on bass). A clear-sighted, virile player with a great future in both playing and composing.