For those unaware, Cuban-born piano prodigy Kemuel Roig discovered his passion for music at the age of four, setting the foundation for a career that has established him as one of the most versatile and captivating musicians of his generation. By eight, he was immersed in classical piano and percussion studies at Cuba’s prestigious National Vocational Art School, developing a technical mastery and artistic depth that would propel him onto the world stage.

Since relocating to the United States in 2002, Roig has toured globally and recorded with an extraordinary roster of legendary artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Al Di Meola, Aymée Nuviola, Chris Potter, Randy Brecker, Alain Perez, Sammy Figueroa, Giovanni Hidalgo, Marcos Vidal, Abraham Laboriel, among others.

A graduate of the prestigious Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he earned his Master’s degree, Roig combines academic excellence with an innate musical sensibility. His unique ability to seamlessly blend Afro-Cuban rhythms with the harmonic sophistication of jazz has made him a standout voice in contemporary music.

Both Sides Now is his intimate solo piano new album where Roig reimagines beloved songs through a deeply expressive and nostalgic lens, blending jazz, classical sensitivity, and personal storytelling.

Described in the liner notes by Ted Panken as “a brilliant solo piano recital,” the album captures past experiences and present emotions with freedom, rubato, and a deeply personal touch.

1. Junk (Paul McCartney)
2. How Can I Be Sure (Felix Cavaliere & Eddie Brigati)
3. The Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles)
4. Solamente Una Vez (Agustin Lara)
5. I Love You (Cole Porter)
6. Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velazquez)
7. Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
8. Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog Jr)
9. Contigo Aprendi (Armando Manzanero)
10. My Romance (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart)
11. Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Armando Manzanero)
12. Windmills of Your Mind (Michel Legrand)
13. The Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles) [Bonus Track]

Featuring beloved songs reimagined for solo piano, Roig opens his new recording on an astonishingly beautiful Junk (Paul McCartney), the rhythmic How Can I Be Sure (Felix Cavaliere & Eddie Brigati) and an emotive The Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles), before we are gifted the veritably glistening Solamente Una Vez (Agustin Lara), the languishing beauty of I Love You (Cole Porter) and the playful Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velazquez).

Along next is a simply breathtaking title cut Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell), the stoically sculpted Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog Jr) and the resplendent Contigo Aprendi (Armando Manzanero) and they are in turned baked seamlessly by a gently spirited My Romance (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart) and the elegant Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Armando Manzanero), with the set rounding out on an affectingly emotive Windmills of Your Mind (Michel Legrand), coming to a close on another rendition of The Peacocks as a bonus track.

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