My favorite things

Description

On this album, the young prodigy Joey Alexander showcases his versatile talent not only by covering Coltrane and Rodgers & Hammerstein with incredible skill, but also by giving free rein to his adventurous spirit and improvisational flair. My Favorite Things was produced by Jason Olaine (a Grammy Award winner). Joining Joey on this album are bassist Larry Grenadier (Stan Getz, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny), Ulysses Owens Jr. (Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride), as well as three talented young musicians from the New York scene: Russell Hall (bass), Sammy Miller (drums) and Alphonso Horne (trumpet). Driven by Joey’s imagination, his sophisticated arrangements and dazzling playing, My Favorite Things celebrates the love of jazz. One is stunned by his version of Giant Steps, the fiery interplay with the members of his band on It Might As Well be Spring, or the masterful interpretation of Over The Rainbow that closes the album. Thus, throughout the nine tracks that make up this first recording, Joey simply proves to be one of jazz’s great hopes. Born in Bali, in the city of Denpasar in 2003, Joey Alexander began playing piano at the age of six. Right away he showed himself capable of playing back the melody of Thelonious Monk’s Well, You Needn't and other jazz standards from his father’s record collection. Without having received jazz training in the strict sense, Joey quickly made a name for himself on the Indonesian jazz scene and beyond. By 2013 he had already taken part in several jazz festivals in Jakarta and Copenhagen and won the Odessa International Improvisation Competition in Ukraine - against 200 adult participants. Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Billy Crystal and Bill Clinton are now among his many fans.