Joey Alexander, making a return to Berks this week, sidesteps prodigy pitfalls
When jazz pianist Joey Alexander performed two years ago as part of Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, stunning the audience with his adult-sized talent, he was 12 years old.
Now, at 14, he’s returning to Berks County with his trio, this time to Kutztown University’s Schaeffer Auditorium, as part of the KU Presents! series, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. And by all accounts, his playing – astonishing as it was in 2016 – has only grown, matured and improved.
Child prodigies, more common in the classical genre, have been known to flare and burn up; some of them drop out of the scene after intense public scrutiny, often citing intense pressure from exacting teachers and grueling, joy-killing hours alone in the practice room. Nervous breakdowns sometimes happen.
None of this seems to be the case with Alexander, whose relaxed, cheerful demeanor is reflected in his playing. In interviews, including the one he did for the Reading Eagle two years ago, he talks about making music as enjoyable, having fun, even playing games.
Growing up in Bali, and then Jakarta, Indonesia, he was never in a hothouse environment. He was almost entirely self-taught, he has said, learning a bit from his father, Denny Sila, an amateur musician, and from listening to his father’s jazz collection. He escaped the harsh training some prodigies endure, instead being allowed to grow at his own (accelerated) pace and encouraged to jam with other musicians in informal settings.
This, along with his apparent strong religious faith, seems to have grounded him and allowed him to explore performing and composing without too much pressure from adults.
In the past two years, Alexander has received three Grammy nominations: two for “My Favorite Things” (in 2016) and one for “Countdown” (in 2017). He is the youngest jazz artist to have been nominated in the history of the Grammy Awards.
He has also, according to his record label, Motema, released “Joey.Monk.Live!” last year in honor of the Thelonious Monk centennial. Alexander’s set to release his latest album, “Eclipse,” on May 4.
This album was recorded in a peaceful, retreat-like setting in rural upstate New York at Dreamland Studios over three days, beginning the day of the solar eclipse last August. He was joined by guest saxophonist Joshua Redman on three tracks, and his rhythm section was made up of bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, who will appear with him as his trio in Friday’s concert.
Of the 11 pieces on the album, six are originals, including a 10-minute improvisation by the trio just after they had gone outside to see the eclipse; it became the title track.
“It was totally unprepared,” Alexander stated through a press release for the album. “After we saw the eclipse, we came back to the studio and just started playing without talking. I’m thankful to God that I had the confidence and courage to do this. But it’s also about how much we trust each other.”
He also wrote “Bali,” about his birthplace; “Faithful,” about his family’s sacrifices and challenges in supporting his music career; “Fourteen,” written in June on his last birthday; “Space”; and “Peace.”
The rest of the album is made up of Alexander’s arrangement of the 1875 hymn, “Draw Me Nearer”; “Moment’s Notice,” by one of his heroes, the late saxophonist John Coltrane; The Beatles’ “Blackbird”; the late pianist Bill Evans’ “Time Remembered”; and the 1934 Ray Noble hit, “The Very Thought of You.”
When he was 9 years old, Alexander won the grand prize at Master-Jam Fest, an international improvisation contest in Ukraine, beating about 200 competitors from 17 countries. While living in Indonesia, he came to the attention of Herbie Hancock, who encouraged him to pursue a jazz career.
At the invitation of trumpet great Wynton Marsalis, who had seen Alexander on a video, he made his U.S. debut in 2014 at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Since then, he and his family have moved to New York, where he has a full-time career, which he balances with finishing his education through homeschooling.
He has played at the Newport Jazz Festival and in many other festivals and major venues, including Tel Aviv, Montreal, Singapore, Prague, Vienna and all over the world.
He gave a TED talk and performance as part of TED2015, a collection of life stories.
“Jazz is a language that unites people,” he said during that talk. “When you play in a jazz band, you have to listen, work together, share, trust each other and be open to possibilities.”
Courtesy : readingeagle
Photo : Wow Keren
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