Joey Alexander

Joey Alexander
Birth name Josiah Alexander Sila
Born (2003-06-25) June 25, 2003
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Piano
Years active 2012–present
Labels Motéma Music
Website JoeyAlexanderMusic.com

Joey Alexander (born Josiah Alexander Sila; June 25, 2003)[1] is an Indonesian jazz pianist and child prodigy. He released his first album, My Favorite Things, on May 12, 2015, at age 11.[2] Alexander taught himself to play jazz at age six,[3] and has performed for Herbie Hancock, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In 2014, Wynton Marsalis invited Alexander to play at the Jazz at Lincoln Center's 2014 gala, which made him an "overnight sensation", according to The New York Times. Alexander won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest, and performed at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals in 2015.

Alexander is the first Indonesian act to enter the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, where My Favorite Things debuted at number 174 on the week ending May 30, 2015,[4] re-entered and peaked at number 59 in January 2016.[5]

Early life

Josiah Alexander Sila was born in the city of Denpasar, in Bali, Indonesia, to parents Denny Sila and Farah Leonora Urbach, who ran an adventure tourism business.[2] His father was an amateur musician,[6] and both parents were fans of jazz music, particularly the works of Louis Armstrong. He is the nephew of the rock singer Nafa Urbach,[7] and the Indonesian musician and song-writer Alam Urbach. Alexander learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him.[2][6] By age six he had taught himself to play piano using a miniature electric keyboard his father brought home for him,[3][8] learning by ear compositions such as Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" and other songs from his father's jazz collection.[8] Alexander later said learning the instrument came naturally for him;[3] he considers his ability "a gift from God".[8] Alexander considers Monk, John Coltrane, Harry Connick, Jr., Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock among his main musical influences, and also particularly admires Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver and McCoy Tyner.[6][7]

Due to the unavailability of formal jazz training where he grew up,[6] Alexander began playing in jam sessions with experienced musicians in Bali and Jakarta,[2][6] where his family moved after disbanding their tourism business so Alexander could live near Indonesia's top jazz musicians.[8] Alexander played for Hancock at age 8 when he was visiting Jakarta as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador. Hancock told Alexander he believed in him, and Alexander later described that as "the day I decided to dedicate my childhood to jazz".[2][8] At age 9, Alexander won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages jazz music competition in Odessa, Ukraine, which included 43 musicians from 17 nations.[2][6] Alexander and his family moved to New York City in 2014.[2]

Career

Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, learned about Alexander after a friend suggested he watch a YouTube video clip of him playing compositions by Coltrane, Monk and Chick Corea.[7][8] Marsalis praised Alexander as "my hero" on his Facebook page,[2] and invited him to appear at his organization's gala in May 2014, when Alexander was 10.[2][3] It marked Alexander's United States debut.[8] He received positive reviews for his performance, particularly for his solo version of the Monk song "'Round Midnight",[2] The New York Times said he became an "overnight sensation" after the performance.[2] Allen Morrison of Down Beat magazine said of the performance: "If the word 'genius' still means anything, it applies to this prodigy. He played his own solo variations on 'Round Midnight' with a breathtaking precocity and mastery of several decades of piano style."[9] Marsalis said of him: "There has never been anyone that you can think of who could play like that at his age. I loved everything about his playing – his rhythm, his confidence, his understanding of the music."[7] Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, widow of tennis player Arthur Ashe, invited Alexander to perform at the Arthur Ashe Learning Center gala, where he played for a crowd that included former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Moutoussamy-Ashe introduced him to Gordon Uehling III, founder of the CourtSense Tennis Training Center, who has allowed Alexander and his family to stay at his estate in Alpine, New Jersey.[2]

Alexander played at A Great Night in Harlem at the Apollo Theater, a performance honoring Herbie Hancock. His performance at the University of the District of Columbia garnered viral attention on the internet, drawing more than 500,000 views on Facebook.[6] Alexander also played in a concert with students of the Juilliard School, the proceeds of which funded his continuing stay in New York City. The concert, which received national media attention on NBC News, was successful enough for Alexander to obtain an O-1B visa, which is granted to "individuals with extraordinary ability".[6][8] He also gave concert performances in 2014 at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the International Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.[6]

Alexander's debut album, My Favorite Things, was released on May 12, 2015, on the Harlem-based label Motéma Music and produced by Jason Olaine. He was 11 at the time of its release.[2][6] Alexander began recording the album in October 2014.[8] He arranged all the songs on the album, which includes renditions of "'Round Midnight", Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". It also includes an original Alexander composition called "Ma Blues", which was inspired by Bobby Timmons' "Moanin'".[7][8] My Favorite Things features Alexander's working band of Russell Hall, Alphonso Horne and Sammy Miller, as well as guest performers Larry Grenadier and Ulysses Owens.[6] Alexander had several performances in 2015, including one at the Montreal International Jazz Festival,[7][8] and another at the Newport Jazz Festival in August.[2] Newport producer George Wein is reluctant to sign alleged child prodigies, but made an exception after Moutoussamy-Ashe took Alexander to Wein's Manhattan apartment to play for him. Wein said Alexander distinguished himself with "the maturity of his harmonic approach".[7][8] The Jazz at Lincoln Center has expressed interest in incorporating Alexander into its educational outreach efforts, hoping to encourage young people to listen to jazz music.[2]

In February 2016, Alexander was a runner-up through his nomination for the Grammy Awards Best Jazz Instrumental Album (for My Favorite Things) and Best Improvised Jazz Solo (for "Giant Steps"). He performed live at the Premiere Ceremony, the pre-telecast ceremony at the Grammy Awards.

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards[10]

Year Category Work Result
2016 Best Improvised Jazz Solo Giant Steps Nominated
2016 Best Jazz Instrumental Album My Favorite Things Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Regen, Jon (May 13, 2015). "Joey Alexander, 12-year-old jazz piano prodigy". Keyboard. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Chinen, Nate (May 12, 2015). "Joey Alexander, an 11-Year-Old Jazz Sensation, Who Hardly Clears the Piano's Sightlines". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "10-Year-Old Piano Prodigy From Indonesia Takes New York By Storm". WCBS-TV. May 7, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Joey Alexander Billboard Chart History". Billboard. 2015-05-30. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Moves: 12-Year-Old Pianist Joey Alexander Has Big Gain, Hits No. 1 on Jazz Albums". Billboard. 2015-05-30. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Joey Alexander". Newport Jazz Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chilton, Martin (May 13, 2015). "The 11-year-old taking jazz world by storm". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "11-Year-Old Indonesian Jazz Piano Prodigy Releases Debut CD". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Jazz at Lincoln Center's Annual Gala Charms With an Evening of Inspired Riffs". Down Beat. May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Past Winners Search".

External links

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