Finding Peace by Joshua Zimmerman

 

Finding Peace

By

Joshua Zimmerman

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Joshua Zimmerman maybe a new name in the world of solo piano to me, but he is one that will long live as one of the finest painters of musical interpretations in this new era of instrumental music that is evolving fast, here on this simply outstanding album, Zimmerman restored my interest in an over bloated genre, and brought such beauty to my heart and mind, right when I needed it most, all hail Finding Peace.

Strangely enough it was the title track that hit me the hardest; the melancholy vibration will always work for me, but this start was one of the most moving I had heard for many years, and it drew me in at a time when I had been feeling quite emotional about various personal issues, this track gave me the cathartic tranquillity I needed, the performance was from a reflective serenity standpoint, and never has a piece been named so well as this one, Finding Peace.

Firstly what a clever title for a song in Between Raindrops, this presentation showed just how good a performer the artist is, here is a composition that has depth, passion, flair, calmness, and all rolled in on the red carpet of a reflective meditational moment of great clarity, a masterful production indeed.

The album itself is 10 tracks of some of the best solo piano you would wish to find, the excitable Untainted Joy being one of them, its mood ebullient and enthusiastic in its overall narrative, whilst offerings like Footprints In My Heart contained an almost childlike innocence in its arrangement, a clever juxtaposition with the deeper elements of the piece can be found here.

For A Princess did indeed have a sense of a regal nature about its build and progression, but in a very charming repose, again that delightful simplicity of tone abounded and danced with fluent and crafted lower notes. We can also gaze lovingly at creations like Innocent Love too; a gentle piano performance was gifted here by the artist, but one that also contained a sensitive main theme and melody.

Sometimes I do this, I lay in my pool in the back garden and I, Simply Be. The soothing and easy piano narrative here would allow anyone to do the same, simply give up control of the moment and enjoy a meditative journey with the artist, on a track that if it had lasted 10 minutes or longer I wouldn’t have minded, it was that beautiful.

The deeper waters of the release have been found and as such we have come across a bay of tranquil musical water called Unwritten Letter, this one is bathed in memory and reflections from the mirrored pool beneath us, I have plenty of opportunities to write these letters, but the time has passed now, and I have moved on, but this would have made an excellent soundtrack for those very moments of deep reflection.

The penultimate piece from the album is now in view and called Familiar Arms, this is one of the most charming tracks from the release; it’s a piano performance that contains great warmth, a heartfelt love, and a much needed musical hug, whilst the concluding offering entitled Into The Open Skies, is a clever and an enlightened piece of great quality, a better one you would not find to end an album of such eminence, it is literally like we have travelled many roads of many emotions, and have now been set free to soar once more.

Finding Peace by Joshua Zimmerman is in my view; one of the best solo piano albums I have had the pleasure to both review and listen to this year, the gentle but melodic fluency here is simply sublime, each composition is built upon a bed of emotive intelligence, and as such the entire release, is a journey all of itself, a remarkable body of work indeed, and one of the most charming solo piano albums of 2025 with utter ease.