NEW YORK (AP) – Joey Alexander’s favorite things include the Avengers, SpongeBob and Thelonious Monk. He’s a normal 11-year-old kid who just happens to be a jazz piano prodigy from Indonesia and has already impressed such jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock.
This week, Alexander released his debut CD, “My Favorite Things,” making a statement on the opening track with a 10-minute-plus version of John Coltrane’s harmonically challenging “Giant Steps.” He also displays a sensitive touch on ballads such as Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and Monk’s “‘Round Midnight”
Not only did he arrange all the tunes, but he also wrote an original composition, “Ma Blues,” inspired by Bobby Timmons’ jazz classic “Moanin’.”
“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,” said the mop-topped pianist, who barely tops 4 1/2 feet and weighs about 80 pounds, in a recent interview.
“Technique is important, but for me first when I play it’s from the heart and feeling the groove.”