He taught himself to play piano by listening to his father's records. I always listen to gospel music, Aretha Franklin is my favourite.'Īsk him where he sees himself in another 10 years, he pauses to think. Joey Alexander, whose sixth album 'Origin' comes out this month, plays Jazz Alley May 3-4. 'I still listen to Thelonious Monk and, of course, Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis, John Coltrane, I still listen to those guys. He practises on the piano for about three hours a day. It's not very healthy, but I like burgers and Italian food.' When it comes to food, the wunderkind is like many of his peers.Īsked about what he missed most about his home country's cuisine after moving to the United States in 2014, he says: 'Actually you know what, I like American food, so it's not that hard for me. He loves movies too ('I like action, animation, comedy and documentaries about music'), but has not seen anything recently and hopes to head to the cinema after the tour ends. When he is not playing music or attending school online, he says he loves swimming and misses the beaches in Bali. In a glowing profile last year, The New York Times described him as 'a thoughtful musician as well as a natural one, with a sophisticated harmonic palette and a dynamic sensitivity'.

The gala performance earned him glowing reviews from press such as jazz magazine Down Beat and paved the way for more shows and his eventual move to New York. Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, invited him to perform at the centre's 2014 gala after watching him in a YouTube video. He started jamming with jazz musicians in Bali and eventually with the larger jazz community in Jakarta.Īt the age of nine, he won the grand prize in an all-ages jazz competition in Ukraine. 'Every time I play, I focus on the moment and I just let it flow,' Joey says. The amateur pianist taught his son some basics when he was six, but most of the young pianist's music education came via listening to records and through watching YouTube videos. His father was an avid jazz fan and played many of the jazz CDs that he had accumulated from his years studying in New York. He was born Josiah Alexander Sila in Denpasar, Bali, to parents who ran a tourism business on the Indonesian island. I guess it was one of the greatest experiences that I've had.' 'But it was really my honour and also my dream to play with him and be at the White House. 'It was kind of really crazy to be playing with Mr Wayne Shorter,' he says. His performance with Shorter, one of the genre's most acclaimed saxophone players, and Grammy- winning bassist Esperanza Spalding counts as one of his biggest achievements to date. 'They were very nice, he's a great president,' he says. At the end of last month, he performed for United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at The International Jazz Day Global Concert 2016 at the White House.

Joey piano prodigy