Joey Alexander
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Josiah Alexander Sila (born 25 June 2003), known professionally as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician to perform on the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
as well as to chart on ''Billboard'' 200 when his album ''My Favorite Things'' debuted at number 174 and then peaked at 59. Widely regarded as a
wunderkind A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...
, Alexander was mentored in jazz piano by his father. and both parents were fans of jazz, particularly
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
. He is the nephew of
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
singer
Nafa Urbach Nafa Indria Urbach (born 15 June 1980) is an Indonesian soap opera actress and singer. She began her career in the entertainment world through with her song "Bagai Lilin Kecil" composed by Deddy Dores. She is often referred to as the successor to ...
and Indonesian musician and songwriter
Alam Urbach Alam is a masculine name derived from several ancient languages including : # Arabic: (''ʿĀlam'') meaning "world" or "universe" # Hebrew: cognate word is transcribed as '' Olam'' or Ulam, also meaning "World" # Tagalog: ''Alam'' means "Kno ...
. He learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him. By age six, he had taught himself to play piano using a miniature electric keyboard his father brought home for him, learning by ear compositions such as
Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
's "
Well, You Needn't This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" b ...
" and other songs from his father's collection. He later said learning the instrument came naturally to him, and considers his ability "a gift from God". He cites as influences
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
,
Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...
,
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...
, and
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...
, and he particularly admires
Clifford Brown Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car crash, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Sprin ...
,
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
,
Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...
,
Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quar ...
,
Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s and a cornerstone of the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label, Morgan came to prominence in his la ...
,
Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...
and
McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...
. Due to the unavailability of jazz education in his hometown, Alexander participated in jam sessions in Bali and
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
, where his family moved after disbanding their tourism business so he could live near Indonesia's top jazz musicians. When he was eight, he played for Herbie Hancock when Hancock was visiting Jakarta as a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
goodwill ambassador. Hancock told Alexander that he believed in him, and Alexander later called that time "the day I decided to dedicate my childhood to jazz". At the age of nine, he won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages jazz competition in
Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
, Ukraine, which included 43 musicians from 17 nations. In 2014, he and his family moved to New York City to pursue a career in music.


Career

Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of
Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is an organization based in New York City. Part of Lincoln Center, the organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center (now Deutsche Bank Center) in October 2004. The organization seeks to “represent th ...
, learned about Alexander after a friend suggested he watch a
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video clip of him playing compositions by Coltrane, Monk and
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
. Marsalis praised Alexander as "my hero" on his
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page, and invited him to appear at his organization's gala in May 2014, when he was 10. It marked Alexander's United States debut. He received positive reviews for his performance, particularly for his solo version of the Monk song " 'Round Midnight". ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said he became an "overnight sensation" after the performance. Allen Morrison of ''
DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
'' 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." 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." Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, widow of tennis player
Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first Black player selected ...
, 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 William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
. Moutoussamy-Ashe introduced him to Gordon Uehling III, founder of the CourtSense Tennis Training Center, who allowed Alexander and his family to stay at his estate in
Alpine, New Jersey Alpine is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is the List of extreme points of U.S. states, easternmost town in New Jersey. ...
. Alexander played at
A Great Night in Harlem A Great Night in Harlem Benefit Concert is an annual series of concerts organized by the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, since 2001 to raise money for the Jazz Foundation's Musician Emergency Fund. Founding ...
at the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
, a performance honoring Herbie Hancock. His performance at the
University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C., United States. The only public university in the city, it traces its origins to 1851 and opened in its current form in 1 ...
garnered viral attention on the internet, drawing more than 500,000 views on Facebook. He also played in a concert with students of the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
, the proceeds of which funded his continuing stay in New York City. The concert, which received national media attention on
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, was successful enough for him to obtain an O-1B visa, which is granted to "individuals with extraordinary ability". He also gave concert performances in 2014 at the
Copenhagen Jazz Festival Copenhagen Jazz Festival is a jazz event every July in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Copenhagen Jazz Festival was established in 1979, but beginning in 1964 Tivoli Gardens presented a series of concerts under the name Copenhagen Jazz Festiv ...
and the International
Java Jazz Festival Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) is one of the largest jazz festivals in the world and arguably the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The annual jazz festival is held every early March and was designed ...
in Jakarta. Alexander's debut album, '' My Favorite Things'', was released on 12 May 2015, on the Harlem-based label
Motéma Music Motéma Music is a jazz and world music record label in the United States. It was founded in 2003 in San Francisco Bay Area by label president and recording artist Jana Herzen. The label has received Grammy recognition more than 25 times for a ...
and produced by Jason Olaine. He was 11 at the time of its release. He began recording the album in October 2014. He arranged all of its songs, which includes renditions of "'Round Midnight", Coltrane's "
Giant Steps ''Giant Steps'' is a studio album by the jazz musician John Coltrane. It was released in January or February 1960 through Atlantic Records. This was Coltrane's first album as leader for the label, with which he had signed a new contract the previ ...
" and
Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the ...
's " Lush Life". It also includes an original composition, "Ma Blues", which was inspired by
Bobby Timmons Robert Henry Timmons (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961), between which he ...
's "
Moanin' ''Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers'', also called ''Moanin, is a studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded on October 30, 1958, and released on Blue Note Records, Blue Note later that year. Background This was Blakey's firs ...
". ''My Favorite Things'' featured Alexander alongside Russell Hall, Alphonso Horne and Sammy Miller, as well as guest performers
Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father was a trumpet player in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his chi ...
and
Ulysses Owens Ulysses Owens Jr. (born December 6, 1982) is an American drummer and percussionist. He was the drummer on vocalist Kurt Elling's Grammy-winning album '' Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman'', and on bassist Chr ...
. He had several performances in 2015, including one at the
Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Every year it features roughly 3,000 ar ...
, and another at the
Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...
in August. Newport producer George Wein is reluctant to sign alleged child prodigies, but made an exception after Moutoussamy-Ashe took Alexander to Wein's
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
apartment to play for him. Wein said he distinguished himself with "the maturity of his harmonic approach". 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. In February 2016, Alexander was a runner-up through his nomination for the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
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. In September 2016, Alexander released his second album, ''Countdown'' (
Motéma Music Motéma Music is a jazz and world music record label in the United States. It was founded in 2003 in San Francisco Bay Area by label president and recording artist Jana Herzen. The label has received Grammy recognition more than 25 times for a ...
, 2016), named after the John Coltrane track. It featured his trio of
Dan Chmielinski Dan Chmielinski, also known as "Chimy" (''shim'-ee''), (born December 28, 1993) is an American jazz contrabass, bassist, synthesist and composer. Biography Early life Raised in Glenview, Illinois, Chmielinski began playing bass at age three, i ...
and
Ulysses Owens Ulysses Owens Jr. (born December 6, 1982) is an American drummer and percussionist. He was the drummer on vocalist Kurt Elling's Grammy-winning album '' Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman'', and on bassist Chr ...
, augmented by bassist
Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father was a trumpet player in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his chi ...
and saxophonist Chris Potter. On 28 April 2017, Alexander made his debut appearance at the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...
. September 2017 saw the release of Alexander's third album, titled ''Joey. Monk. Live!'' (
Motéma Music Motéma Music is a jazz and world music record label in the United States. It was founded in 2003 in San Francisco Bay Area by label president and recording artist Jana Herzen. The label has received Grammy recognition more than 25 times for a ...
, 2017), is a collection of seven songs by
Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room in June 2017, released concurrently with his nomination as Music Scholar by the T. Washington Scholars program in August. His fourth album, titled ''Eclipse'' (
Motéma Music Motéma Music is a jazz and world music record label in the United States. It was founded in 2003 in San Francisco Bay Area by label president and recording artist Jana Herzen. The label has received Grammy recognition more than 25 times for a ...
, 2018), was released in May 2018. On 18 August 2018, Alexander performed at the opening ceremony of the
2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...
in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. In 2020, Alexander released ''Warna,'' his fifth album under Verve Records. His sixth album, ''Origin'', was released on 20 May 2022 by
Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...
. It is Alexander's first album of entirely original compositions. Past collaborators
Kendrick Scott Kendrick Scott (born July 8, 1980 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. Biography Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston. ...
and
Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father was a trumpet player in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his chi ...
return, with featured musicians
Gilad Hekselman Gilad Hekselman (; born February 3, 1983) is an Israeli-born jazz guitarist. He has performed with Anat Cohen, Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, Aaron Parks, Jeff Ballard, John Scofield, Ari Hoenig, Chris Potter and Joey Alexander. Biography He ...
and Chris Potter.


Discography


As leader

* '' My Favorite Things'' (Motéma, 2015) * ''Countdown'' (Motéma, 2016) * ''Joey.Monk.Live!'' (Motéma, 2017) * ''Eclipse'' (Motéma, 2018) * ''Warna'' (Verve, 2020) * ''Origin'' (Mack Avenue, 2022) * ''Continuance'' (Mack Avenue, 2023)


Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
Panasonic Gobel Awards The Panasonic Gobel Awards (formerly Panasonic Awards) were annual awards presented to television programs and performances in Indonesia based on a people's choice poll. The first awards ceremony was held in 1997 in partnership with ''Tabloid Citra ...
Anugerah Musik Indonesia The Anugerah Musik Indonesia ( 'Indonesian Music Awards'), also known as AMI or colloquially AMI Awards, is an annual Indonesian music award ceremony to recognize outstanding achievements in improving the quality and quantity of artists in the m ...
Libera Awards The Libera Awards are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2IM's Indie Week, an annual music busi ...


References


External links

* * * *
Jazz performance at TED
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Joey 2003 births 21st-century Indonesian pianists Asia Game Changer Award winners Child jazz musicians Indo people Indonesian child musicians Indonesian jazz pianists Indonesian people of Dutch descent Living people Motéma Music artists Musicians from Bali People from Denpasar