New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On May 12th, jazz piano wunderkind Joey Alexander will release his highly anticipated debut album 'My Favorite Things' on the Grammy-winning Harlem-based label Motema Music. The album finds Alexander playing everything from Coltrane to Rodgers and Hammerstein with a deft touch, adventurous spirit and improvisatory verve. 'My Favorite Things' was produced by Grammy-winning producer Jason Olaine. Accompanying Joey on the album are bassist Larry Grenadier (Stan Getz, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny) and 2-time Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. (Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride) as well as three talented young players from the New York scene: Russell Hall (bass), Sammy Miller (drums) and Alphonso Horne (trumpet).
Joey will perform throughout 2015 including at the Newport International Jazz Festival, a record release concert at Jazz At Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in NYC, and a TED Talk performance on March 17. He will also tour extensively in the US (September + October) and Europe (July + November) with specific dates to be announced shortly.
Driven by Alexander's imagination, sophisticated arrangements and dazzling playing, 'My Favorite Things' is soulful and joyful. It is also statement of intent, a compelling introduction to a budding young leader, performer and composer, who plays with power and elation. From his impressionistic introduction to "Giant Steps" to the spirited interplay with his band mates on "It Might As Well Be Spring," to his singular closing rendition of "Over The Rainbow," Joey proves himself a true and distinctive jazz professional.
Born on the island of Bali in the city of Denpassar in 2003, Alexander first encountered a piano at the age of six, and was immediately able to pick out the melody of Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" and other jazz standards from his father's record collection by ear. Despite no formal jazz education, Joey rose quickly in the Indonesian jazz scene and beyond. In 2013 he was featured at jazz festivals in both Jakarta and Copenhagen, and won the international improvisation contest in Odessa, Ukraine - besting over 200 adult contestants. He now counts Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Billy Crystal and Bill Clinton among his many fans. In 2014, Joey performed at star-studded galas for Jazz At Lincoln Center at the Rose Room, The Jazz Foundation of America at the Apollo and the Arthur Ashe Foundation. In addition to signing with the rising Motema label, Alexander has also penned deals with a top jazz booking agency and is rapidly growing in demand on the international circuit. The sky appears to be the limit for this soulful young artist.
Praise for Joey Alexander:
"If the word "genius" still means anything, it applies to this prodigy" - Top40-Charts.com
"Technically fluent and harmonically astute" -- The New York Times
"Magnificent not only for the child's virtuosity - plenty of prodigies have outsized chops -- but for the maturity and perception he brought" - Jazz Times
'My Favorite Things' Tracklist:
1. Giant Steps
2. Lush Life
3. My Favorite Things
4. It Might As Well Be Spring
5. Ma Blues
6. 'Round Midnight
7. I Mean You
8. Tour De Force
9. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Tour Dates:
04/30 - New York, NY @ Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
05/27 - Boston, MA @ Scullers
05/29 - Cape May, NJ @ Exit 0 Jazz Festival
06/20-06/21 - Rochester, NY @ Rochester Jazz Festival
08/01 - Newport, RI @ Newport Jazz Festival
Joey Alexander on the Web:
Website: https://joeyalexandermusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joey.Alexander.music
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_joeyalexander
