Music Appreciation
Related: About this forumIndonesian child prodigy Joey Alexander plays Giant Steps..
Josiah Alexander Sila (born 25 June 2003),better known as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician to chart on Billboard 200 when his album, My Favorite Things, debuted at number 174.
A child prodigy, Joey Alexander taught himself to play jazz at age six, by listening to his father's classic jazz albums. He won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest when he was nine.
In 2014, Wynton Marsalis invited him to play at Jazz at Lincoln Center, which, according to The New York Times, made him an "overnight sensation". He released his first album, My Favorite Things, in 2015 at age 11. Joey Alexander played at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals in 2015, and has performed for Herbie Hancock, Bill Clinton, Wendy Kiess, and Barack Obama. ( wiki)
Keyboard mag interview from Jan 2017:
Its not just technique or how fast you can play, because in order to play this music, you really have to have a kind of maturity and wisdom, pianist and composer Joey Alexander says, seated beside a 9-foot Hamburg Steinway concert grand in New York City. It's good advice for sure, but even more impressive when you consider this: Joey Alexander is 13 years-old, with the musical and emotional gravitas of an old master. One listen and you believe the hype. This kid is for real.
Since arriving in the United States from Bali, Indonesia, Alexander has soared, with multiple Grammy nominations (including one just announced for his latest release Countdown), prime-time television appearances, and a touring schedule that would be challenging for veterans three times his age.
But whats most important to the young musician isnt the accolades or awards he continues to garner. I understand that people still doubt me as a musician because Im too young, he says. They can say whatever they think, and I respect that. But my hope is for people to focus more on my music.
PJMcK
(21,988 posts)After your post the other day about the Coltrane Changes, I pulled out my dog-eared Real Book and tried to work my way through "Giant Steps" once again.
Nope. It's never gonna happen for me!
This kid's amazing. It'll be great to watch his career unfold.
Thanks for the post, JHan.
JHan
(10,173 posts)so no shame in the game lol, even when it defeats you.
The amazing thing about Joey is I've followed very gifted young musicians with amazing technical skills but Joey's technical gifts are layered with his artistry - which is surprising for his age. Since he picked up on this himself, and it was a self-discovery of sorts, it really says something about learning by ear and how valuable that process can be in developing your gift.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)This is a fun video, and you don't have to be a musical genius to follow it.
JHan
(10,173 posts)Iggo
(47,534 posts)I watched a ton of YouTube yesterday, and I forgot how I got to that video.
Thanks for the reminder.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/103410331
JHan
(10,173 posts)Iggo
(47,534 posts)JHan
(10,173 posts)or think.. just dive right in.
hardcore.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)Coltrane knew the changes goin' in.
Flanagan gets a chart dropped on him and he's just s'posed to go?
Then again, maybe that's the game.