Keeping the music as the focus is an excellent strategy to allow him to develop his musical career with as little pressure as possible. He is described as a “prodigy”, a “genius”, a “gift from God.” Some commenters go so far as to refer to Joey as “the modern equivalent of Mozart in the jazz idiom”, “the next Mozart”, or “an angel from Indonesia.” Being compared to one of the greatest musical minds in history, or having the weight of the expectations of an entire nation on such young shoulders is obviously daunting, and would explain in no small part Joey’s desire to have his musical abilities placed at the forefront of any discussion, with his age left firmly in the background. Just a quick skim through the comments left for Joey’s YouTube performance videos is evidence enough of the projections of his online audience members.
Joey appears to instinctively predict the question that the psychologist Jeanne Bamberger asks about the prodigy’s “mid-life crisis”: What is it like to face becoming a grown-up prodigy? The transition during early adolescence from prodigiousness to adult artistry is often a struggle for the one-time prodigy. Youth however is quickly lost, and the effects of this loss can be devastating for the once-prodigy, who will often suddenly find themselves competing with others on equal ground for the attention that used to come so freely. So why should Joey be wary of such a well-fitting label? Since his first public appearances at the age of seven, Joey has attracted a significant amount of media attention, with a focus on his young age. I know many people call me a prodigy…I mean, ok, thank you, but I still want to be called a jazz musician.” When the host remarked, “I know you don’t really like the term ‘jazz prodigy’, do you?”, Joey replied, “I just like to be as myself, as a jazz musician. But for me I want to focus on the music, and let the music speak by itself.” This is a sentiment he’d previously voiced on the US Today Show. Whether my age, or younger than me, they always talk about their age. In an interview for the television show Asian Dreamers in 2015, Joey explains, “A lot of prodigies, they are good, but they talk about their age. What is interesting in Joey’s case is his seeming awareness of the pitfalls that carrying such a label can bring, and in a show of extraordinary maturity, he has indicated that he would prefer not to have to wear and bear it. The label ‘prodigy’ has understandably been given to this remarkable talent. Audience members were understandably blown away by the young musician’s maturity and creativity, and this marked the beginning of what has become a highly successful US career for Joey, who already has one Grammy-nominated album and a busy touring schedule to his name.
Invited at the age of ten to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Joey opted to play his own original arrangement of Round Midnight by Monk, thus showcasing both his phenomenal technique and profound understanding of the jazz idiom.
#JOEY ALEXANDER PIANO PRODIGY PROFESSIONAL#
By the age of seven he was playing with professional musicians in his hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia, with his rapidly growing reputation as a musical prodigy eventually leading him to New York. Playing by ear at the age of six, the first piece he recalls learning was a jazz standard by jazz icon Thelonious Monk.
Joey is completely self-taught, and apart from a brief, yet unsuccessful attempt to interest him in classical music, he has never had a teacher. The short solo performance, which earned him a standing ovation, was without doubt the cherry on the cake of this young musician’s short but remarkable career thus far. If you tuned in to this year’s Grammy awards, you would not have failed to witness the extraordinary performance of 12-year-old jazz pianist Joey Alexander.
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