![]() ![]() On Thursday, he will be accompanied by Kris Funn on bass and John Davis on drums. Origin comes from the Latin world ‘oriri,’ which means to rise.” I turned to writing music and recorded all of them during the pandemic. “Not being able to perform with people and to do what we do was hard and at the same time we knew that we had to keep sharp and ready when live performances came back. “The pandemic took away the livelihood of musicians,” he explained of the album’s inspiration. That same year, Alexander also performed with saxophonist Wayne Shorter and bassist Esperanza Spalding at the White House, as part of a nationally televised International Jazz Day special.Īs far as particular career highlights, he said, “One of them is when I played my original song ‘City Lights’ at the 2016 Grammys, and the other was performing for the Obamas at the White House.”Īlexander released his first album of all-original material, “Origin,” on Friday. At the 58th Grammy Awards, in 2016, he played during both the pre-telecast and the prime-time TV event. His live performances have been equally celebrated. The venerable jazz magazine Downbeat, reviewing “Eclipse,” praised: “Joey Alexander’s genius was beyond question at 10 at 14 it only has deepened.” The laudatory reviews continued for subsequent albums. review in The Guardian noted, “this is the performance of an old soul, not just a quick-fingered one.” “Tunes by Monk, Coltrane and Strayhorn, are turned this way and that in a bright, muscular style that recalls Hancock, Corea and Petruciani, who had to wait until they were out of short pants to sound like this,” noted The Irish Times. He next recorded his follow-up album, “Countdown,” at 12-and-a-half. JazzTimes lauded that it was “magnificent not only for his virtuosity but for the maturity and perception he brings.” AllMusic praised his “stunning keyboard virtuosity,” and The New York Times called him “an overnight sensation.” His interpretation of John Coltrane’s standard “Giant Steps” earned him a Grammy nomination for “Best Improvised Jazz Solo,” as well as Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Recorded when he was 11, Alexander’s debut album, “My Favorite Things,” was mind-blowing. He performed Hancock’s composition “Sonrisa.” “It is very special and rich, and I can have a conversation with other musicians and have the freedom to express myself.”īy age 9, he won the Grand Prix at the first Master-Jam Festival, an all-ages jazz competition in Ukraine, featuring musicians from 17 nations. “It was all a process of listening and playing with people for me to truly love this American art form,” he said about his passion for jazz.
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