Jazz legend spices up Twin Cities festival

(Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson)

By DAN EMERSON / SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS
June 23, 2016 - UPDATED: 3 days ago

Pianist Joey Alexander, who helped kick off the 2016 Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Thursday night in downtown St. Paul’s Mears Park, has the assurance and technique of someone who has spent half his life playing jazz.

The 12-year-old prodigy from Bali, Indonesia, has indeed spent half his life playing the music, since he started pursuing the art of improvisation at the age of 6.

Alexander has been causing a stir in the jazz world with high-profile appearances with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and at the Newport and Montreal jazz festivals. Also, “60 Minutes” featured him a few weeks ago.

On Thursday night, the diminutive Alexander led a trio that also included bassist Dan Chmielinski and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr, who are also fine, young musicians.

Alexander started the set with a couple of John Coltrane compositions, “Resolution” and “Giant Steps.”

On the opener, after stating the melody, Alexander detoured into an improvised solo interlude that reshaped the rhythm and melody, before bringing the rest of the band back in at a breakneck tempo.

Alexander’s tiny fingers flew over the keys.


Alexander, who will celebrate his 13th birthday on Saturday, followed that with an original, “City Lights,” which featured a bouncy, Latin groove led by Owens, interspersed with some swing passages.

read more at: http://www.twincities.com/2016/06/23/jazz-legend-even-if-he-is-just-12-spices-up-twin-cities-festival/