What Alexander does is more than simply play the piano with the assured skill and authority of a musician years his senior.īeyond his dazzling virtuosity, he demonstrates a command of harmony, rhythm and improvisation that exceeds his age by several decades. Joey is a beast! He's a great player and a really nice kid. "Then I saw him perform at the Java Jazz Festival.
Joey opened for us, solo," Charles recalled. "I was playing with (pianist) Marcus Roberts at JALC in 2015. The piano prodigy made an immediate impression on Charles, who is an assistant professor of jazz studies at Michigan State University. "It's such a true honor for me."Īlexander was 11 when Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles first heard him perform at JALC. Who knows where his phenominal talent will take him ?Īs for the recording, a sure candidate for Album Of The Year."Oh, I'm so honored to hear that, coming from Wynton Marsalis," he said. However the future looks extremely bright for this young man. Standards drop only marginally with the introduction of the three more localised musicians, although I see no valid reason why the record company did not complete the album with the first call trio with the option of more solo tracks and piano-bass duets. All the arrangements here are by the leader including the self penned Ma Blues where he pays homage to the stride masters of the past whilst holding the contemporary feel. The Two solo performances on Round Midnight and Over The Rainbow give the feeling that you are listening to a seasoned virtuoso.Īn album of this magnitude does not realy need a highlight but for me the piano and bass coversations on the title track just about top things off.
#Joey jazz piano prodigy full#
Lush Life is full of tension and release and It Might As Well Be Spring has never received such a muscular approach. From there the standard has been set and never falters. Opening the set is a wonderful solo introduction to Coltrane's Giant Steps which leads to a complete re-working of the tune with numerous tempo changes. Between them Larry Grenadier and Ulysses Owens have played and recorded regularly with the likes of Brad Mehldau, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Christian McBride and Kurt Elling.
Joey has been able to go straight to the top shelf with the selection of his regular collaborators.
#Joey jazz piano prodigy plus#
There are three tracks with the regular trio, two solo pieces, a duet with bass plus three offerings with local New York musicians. The album is produced the Harlem based Grammy award winning producer Jason Olaine. Sometimes it takes a lifetime for a musician to become an overnight sensation, in Joey Alexander's case he has done it almost in one with his concert performances and the release of his first album. Part of the process was to move with his family to New York where within weeks he was invited by Wynton Marsalis to perform at The Lincoln Centre. It is sometimes difficult to be objective about artists so very young ,but let,s cut to the chase right away and say that this recording is magnificent from start to finish.After being mentored by Herbie Hancock from the age of eight and winning the best musician poll at Odessa Masters Jazz Festival aged nine Joey decided "To dedicate the rest of my childhood to Jazz". Joey Alexander is a child prodigy of the jazz piano and was born in Denpasar, Indonesia on 25th June 2003.Īt the time of this recording he was eleven years old. With Russell Hall (bs) Sammy Miller (drs) tks 5,7,8 Alphonso Horne (tpt) tk 8 Joey Alexander (pno) Larry Grenadier (bs) Ulysses Owens jnr (drs)
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