ALBUM REVIEW OF THE DAY | 20 JULY 2026
JOSHUA MOSHE | ART DON'T LIE
Art Don't Lie
JOSHUA MOSHE
Released 17 July 2026
Joshua Moshe
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A contemporary, spiritual jazz fusion of improvisation, electronic textures, and Jewish folk and rhythm traditions into a deeply personal, cinematic sonic journey.
Over the past five years, Melbourne-based saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Joshua Moshe has become a vital force in the Australian contemporary jazz landscape, gaining widespread attention with a string of singles, an EP and his 2023 debut album Inner Search, which earned a nomination for the prestigious Australian Music Prize. Known for his technical fluidity on both alto and soprano saxophones, Moshe seamlessly bridges the gap between acoustic traditions and modern studio production. His work also may be seen as a cultural bridge - weaving ancestral Jewish folk melodies and Middle Eastern modalities together, bound with heavy, club-leaning global grooves.
Art Don't Lie is an ambitious, breathtakingly realized evolution for Joshua Moshe. Recorded with a core eight-piece group in early 2023 and expanded through ongoing studio sessions across 2023 – 2024, the album is a masterclass in balance. The album features a powerhouse ensemble of collaborators including UK/NZ drummer Myele Manzanza, who brings deep rhythmic drive and elasticity to the music, alongside long-time producer and collaborator Lewis Moody, whose production and mixing shape the record’s sonic world. Tracks like "Binah" and the title track operate with a fierce rhythmic urgency, allowing Moshe's soaring saxophone to slice through dense electronic textures. The arrangements feel simultaneously vast and hyper-intimate, utilizing space as effectively as complex instrumentation. It is a cinematic, deeply evocative document of migration and identity that redefines the parameters of modern Australian spiritual jazz.
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