Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the photographer and widow of the tennis star Arthur Ashe, invited Joey to perform at the Arthur Ashe Learning Center gala, for a crowd including former President Bill Clinton. Joey played a solo version of the Monk ballad “‘Round Midnight” as the finale, earning a standing ovation, glowing reviews and some influential supporters. Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, who invited him to appear at the organization’s 2014 gala.

Soon one of his YouTube videos caught the notice of Mr. Hancock at a gala for the Jazz Foundation of America, “and that was the day I decided to dedicate my childhood to jazz.”) He was 9 when he entered the first Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages jazz competition in Ukraine. (“You told me that you believed in me,” Joey recalled last fall, addressing Mr. At 8, he played for the pianist Herbie Hancock, who was in Jakarta as a Unesco good-will ambassador. He played at jam sessions in Bali and then in Jakarta, when his family moved there. Beyond that, Joey recalled, “I heard records, and also YouTube, of course.” Sila, an amateur pianist, to teach him some fundamentals. Joey began playing piano at 6, picking out a Thelonious Monk tune by ear, which led Mr. He is taller now, though the sight of him at a grand piano can still be disconcerting, especially when you hear what he plays. Joey looked like a cherub several years ago when his reputation began to build in jazz circles: small in stature, with a thick mop of black hair over a face that still showed traces of baby fat. And, as with any celebrated young talent, there is a question of intention: Who benefits most from the renown these performers receive? Is there a way to marvel at mind-blowing precocity without stunting an artist’s development? All the attention lavished on them can distort the ecology of an art form, even while bringing encouraging news about its survival. The acclamation given to musical prodigies usually involves some mix of circus-act astonishment and commodity futures trading. It is natural to harbor mixed feelings about this phenomenon, and for a critic it’s all but imperative. The list goes on, with some prodigies developing major careers and others falling short of their early promise. There’s José André Montaño, a 10-year-old blind pianist from Bolivia Kojo Roney, a 10-year-old drummer who had a concert residency last month in Brooklyn and Grace Kelly, 22, an alto saxophonist who made her first album at 12. Joey may be the most talked-about one that jazz has seen in a while, though he is hardly alone. It’s all part of the improbable life of a child prodigy. His debut album, “My Favorite Things” (Motéma), is out this week, and he is booked for a series of notable appearances in the coming months, including one at the Newport Jazz Festival in August.ĭiscovered in Jakarta, Indonesia, about three years ago, Joey moved with his parents to New York last year, with the help of jazz luminaries like the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who called him “ my hero” on Facebook and with whom he now shares a manager. He became an overnight sensation - not too strong a term - with his guest performance a year ago at a Jazz at Lincoln Center gala, which won him rave reviews. This was far from his first turn in the spotlight. Which only made sense, given that Joey, jazz’s latest media star, is 11 years old. The scene was sweetly comical: The top of his head barely grazed their chests. The cheers rang loud and long for Joey Alexander after he had played his last delicate piano chord in a recent sold-out set at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in Manhattan.īeaming at his standing ovation, he stood between his bassist and his drummer, intent on taking a group bow.

12 year old piano prodigy 60 minutes