Twelve-year-old Indonesian jazz prodigy Joey Alexander recently became one the youngest people ever to earn a Grammy award nomination. In fact, he earned two nominations for his recently released album, “My Favorite Things,” which led to massive amounts of media coverage for the young jazz genius in the US.
A January 3 feature on popular US TV news program 60 Minutes raised Joey’s profile even higher, leading to a 3,563 percent increase in sales for “My Favorite Things” that took the 12-year-old’s album to the top of the Billboard 200’s jazz album chart and #59 on the overall chart last week.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week’s most popular albums based on their overall consumption, combining pure album sales with digital and streaming sales.
In December, Joey was nominated for two Grammy awards, one for ‘Best Improvised Jazz Solo’ and one for ‘Best Jazz Instrumental Album’. Joey’s nomination means that he is one of the youngest Grammy nominees ever, joining the ranks of Michael Jackson (who was 12 when he received his first nomination) and Zac Hanson (of “MMMBop” fame, also 12 when first nominated).
But should he win a Grammy, Joey would become the youngest individual Grammy winner of all time.
Joey was born in Bali, where his parents ran a tourism business. He first showed a natural aptitude for jazz music after he listened to his father’s Thelonious Monk albums and was able to pick out the tunes on an electric mini keyboard without any training. His father, an amateur pianist, taught him some basics and Joey quickly soaked it all up.
Joey soo began jamming with some of Bali’s jazz musicians and his parents saw his skills grow exponentially. Giving up their tourism business, the family then moved to Jakarta so Joey could be exposed to the capital’s top talents.
The young prodigy’s skills were quickly recognized, and at the age of 8, Joey was given the honor of playing for jazz piano legend Herbie Hancock at an event in Jakarta.
Jazz luminary Wynton Marsalis, the director of Jazz at New York’s Lincoln Center, invited Joey to play at the Lincoln Center’s annual gala after watching a YouTube clip of the 10-year-old playing songs by John Coltrane and Monk.
“There has never been anyone that you can think of who could play like that at his age. I loved everything about his playing — his rhythm, his confidence, his understanding of the music,” Marsalis told the Associated Press.
His performance at Lincoln Center made Joey a star in the jazz world, and he quickly gained the support of some of New York’s most-talented musicians. The US Government recently granted him and his family an O-1 visa (for “individuals with extraordinary ability”) so that he could pursue his jazz career in the Big Apple.
Watching the videos of his performances, it’s clear that Joey has skill beyond his years. But experienced musicians who have played with him say that, unlike many prodigies, Joey has not come by his skills through rote memorization and formal training, but through a sincere love of the music.
In a recent interview, Joey said: “For me, jazz is a calling. I love jazz because it’s about freedom to express yourself and being spontaneous, full of rhythm and full of improvisation.”
We hope Joey can make history and do us all proud by winning the Grammys on February 15, 2016.
You can get yourself a copy of “My Favourite Things” here on iTunes.
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