Joseph Nowell Solo

British-Italian pianist and composer Joseph Nowell presents a solo project at the crossroads of jazz, contemporary classical music and free improvisation. His music combines composed material with an open approach to improvisation, exploring the possibilities of the piano through melody, texture, repetition and variation.

His album Themes and Variations (BlueRing Records, 2024) brings together a series of short compositions and improvisations inspired by the classical theme-and-variations form. Simple melodic ideas serve as points of departure, gradually transformed through repetition, development and spontaneous exploration.

In a live setting, the project takes the form of an uninterrupted set of music. Nowell’s compositions are loosely woven into longer, more free-flowing sections, creating a continuous musical narrative in which written and improvised material constantly interact.

Active in the Belgian jazz and improvised-music scene since 2017, Nowell is based in Brussels and performs in a variety of projects alongside his solo work. His background spans both jazz and classical music, with studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and master’s degrees in both disciplines.