Joey Alexander was born in Bali, Indonesia on June 25, 2003. He is so talented in jazz that he is considered a jazz prodigy. However, he says he doesn't like being called a prodigy. He just prefers to be thought of as himself or as a jazz musician.
Joey is from Indonesia but lives in New York now. He started playing the piano when he was 6 years old. He says his success isn't from tons of lessons; it's from feeling the music in his heart.
When Joey was 6 years old, his parents brought home a mini keyboard (键盘式电子乐器). And to their surprise, Joey could play the melody (乐曲) of Well, You Needn't(a Jazz classic written by Thelonious Monk). His parents directly gave him piano lessons. In just a year or so, he could already lay difficult jazz pieces. For him, jazz is really great. It gives him freedom. That's why he prefers jazz to modern or classical music.
In December, 2011, Joey was invited to play in front of the well-known jazz musician Herbie Hancock during his visit to Indonesia. Now at the age of 15, Joey has performed and collaborated (合作) with many top jazz musicians in Indonesia and also with some visiting jazz musicians from Europe. He has performed in many jazz festivals like Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.
