JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO - It Might As Well Be Spring

13-Year-Old two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated Jazz Pianist Born on June 25, 2003, on the island of Bali, pianist Joey Alexander originally learned about jazz from his dad, who exposed his son to a variety of classic albums from his extensive collection. At the age of six, Joey began teaching himself to play the piano using a mini electronic keyboard given to him by his father. Joey’s march into people’s hearts had begun. His inherent sense of music and grasp of jazz fundamentals developed at a remarkable pace, and at the age of eight, UNESCO invited him to play solo for an elated legend, Herbie Hancock. Joey later remarked to Hancock, “...you told me that you believed in me, and that was the day I decided to dedicate my childhood to jazz.” At nine, Joey won the grand prize at the first Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages competition in Ukraine which included 200 competitors from 17 countries. By 10, he was performing at jazz festivals in both Jakarta and Copenhagen. An invitation from Wynton Marsalis led to his debut appearance in the U.S. at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall in 2014. The audience was spellbound. This followed performances at the Jazz Foundation of America at the Apollo Theater and the Arthur Ashe Learning Center at Gotham Hall. His 2015 debut album for Motéma Music, My Favorite Things, garnered two GRAMMY Award nominations for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album” and “Best Improvised Solo” for his performance of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, making him the youngest jazz artist ever nominated for a GRAMMY. Wynton Marsalis says of Joey, “There has never been anyone that you can think of who could play like that at his age. I love everything about his playing– his rhythm, his confidence, his understanding of the music.” Building upon the swing and improvisational style that made his first project a critical and popular success, his new album, Countdown (Motéma) is a reflection of the growth and maturity of Joey Alexander as an artist, and a confident next step towards a limitless future of mesmerising rhythm.