MIGUEL KERTSMAN, Paradoxes

Anyone previously unfamiliar with the extraordinarily inventive veteran Brazilian genre-busting, composer and multi-keyboardist Miguel Kertsman will know they’re in for a prodigious, mind and consciousness-expanding experience on his magnum opus Paradoxes the minute they see quotes from Rolling Stone in his promo materials.

“Overall, this music remains indescribable and defies categorization,” their review reads. Berklee Today once called him “the multi-dimensional composer.” That’s oversimplifying language for a concert stage classical composer and jazz-rock keyboard master who for decades now has created orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo works commissioned, performed or recorded by world-renowned artists such as guitarist John Williams, opera star Angelika Kirchschlager, conductor Dennis Russell-Davies, the Vienna Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and others.

One thing’s for certain as we traverse the album’s continuously fascinating, peripatetic sonic universe from the epic, shapeshifting wildly rockin’ synth-driven grandeur of “Enclosed Pathways” through the trippy, hypnotic outer space ambiences of “De-clocking. If this mother of a collection (13 tracks, plus single edits of the first single, the infectious, vocal harmony driven single “Red Blue Sky” and another focal track, the jammin’ throb rocker “Liquid Fire”) was released back in the 70s, when Kertsman was a young boy absorbing a vast array of styles, including progressive rock into his musical DNA, it would be up there on the classic prog-rock radar with anything by Yes, Genesis, ELP, the Moody Blues, Jethro Tull or King Crimson.

That's because the album is that intense, that trippy, that curious, that adventurous, etc. Rolling Stone was right, it defies categorization - and comes across as a sonic marvel entering our ear space in 2025. Trying to figure out just how this surreal music connects to Kertsman’s lifelong fascination by the concept of paradoxes – scientific, astrophysical, mathematical and in human behavior – is part of the magic of the experience for those who dare to open to it.

Kertsman defines Paradoxes as a concept album following a story arc with provocative titles (“Jubilant Anxiety” followed by “Fanfare in Quietude,” “Atemporal Ocean” followed by “Postlude, Waterverse,” “Then Is Now” and “Postlude, Nostalgic Future”) that includes an array of longer form compositions, interludes, postludes, shorter tracks, and what he calls “four songs.” Fascinating as all this is, the quest to understand the narrative should not take precedence over the sheer energy unleashed on this life in the studio recording on vintage instruments, drums, bass, guitar and powerhouse vocals (by Drew Sarich, Loren (Saiphe) Kertsman and Miguel himself). Listeners may feel they’re about to time travel (but with better digital stereo and ATMOS vibes) when they catch a glimpse of the Kertsman’s toolbox – piano, harpsichord, pipe organ, vintage analog keyboards and synths.  

While it’s probably best to set aside an hour and explore Paradoxes (with awesome headphones!) from start to finish, there are some excellent entry points for those looking to cherry pick some gems for a contemporary prog rock playlist, starting of course with “Red Blue Sky” and “Liquid Fire,” both of which feature Sarich’s inviting vocals and storytelling wizardry) amidst trippy strings and atmospheres and on booming drums (on “Liquid Fire”).

For all the sonic wizardry, it’s also an ear-popping experience to hear the simple glory of Kertsman’s classical piano skills on the early solo “Postlude, Letting Go,” which is immediately followed by the bouncy jam turned space mission “Still Currents.” Or try the strange and wondrous time-centered final duality of the immersive space funk vocal “I-Clock” (vocals by Kertsman) and the aforementioned sparse and spacey “De-clocking.” No doubt listeners who connect with what Kertsman and his brilliant ensemble are throwing down will enjoy discovering their own entry points and favorites as well.