Josiah Alexander Sila, known professionally as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician ever to be nominated at the Grammy Awards and performed at the ceremony as well.
His debut album My Favorite Things peaked at #59 on the Billboard 200.
labels: Motéma Music, Mack Avenue Records
genres: jazz
plays: piano
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Alexander was born in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, to parents Denny Sila and Farah Leonora Urbach, who ran an adventure tourism business. His father was an amateur musician, and both parents were fans of jazz, particularly Louis Armstrong. He is the nephew of rock singer Nafa Urbach and Indonesian musician and songwriter Alam Urbach. He learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him. By age six, he had taught himself to play piano using a miniature electric keyboard his father brought home for him, learning by ear compositions such as Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" and other songs from his father's collection. He later said learning the instrument came naturally to him, and considers his ability "a gift from...
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, learned about Alexander after a friend suggested he watch a YouTube video clip of him playing compositions by Coltrane, Monk and Chick Corea. Marsalis praised Alexander as "my hero" on his Facebook page, and invited him to appear at his organization's gala in May 2014, when he was 10. It marked Alexander's United States debut. He received positive reviews for his performance, particularly for his solo version of the Monk song "'Round Midnight". The New York Times said he became an "overnight sensation" after the performance. Allen Morrison of DownBeat magazine said of the performance: "If the word 'genius' still means anything, it applies to this prodigy. He...
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