Playing like Spain like Chick Corea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lUcTRqMDxE&feature=related

Wow that kid's pretty good!! I found a better clip with him doing the same song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BXa22qWTc

I'm curious about how he learned jazz. I don't know if he can do much beyond Spain but what he can do sounds pretty authentic. He can really improvise. I think this is different from the usual prodigies playing classical music because there you're learning something specific. For him to sound like Chick Corea means he's listened and practiced to emulate Chick, which is amazing for a young kid to comprehend (even at 13). For one, who's going to teach thim that? Chick himself?

It's not like you can go to some masterclass and learn this

This kid Gadi is no doubt a classical and jazz prodigy. He has the passion, the ear, technique, and long thin fingers, exceptionally unusual long pinky to play complex classical and jazz tunes.

We need kids like this who can help keep jazz piano alive and inspire, influence and motivate other piano students to learn about improvisation. He will certainly have no trouble getting a scholarship to Berklee, Juilliard, or NEC.

I'm sure he has the ear to transcribe Spain or anything similar or even more advanced compositions and can pull them off effortlessly. It's also possible he has absolute pitch or close to it.

There are several other young prodigies out playing jazz and when listeners who may not be into jazz will get interested in checking it out due to the exposure and publicity these kids get featured in.

I would also hope these kids will study the pianists that influenced Chick, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Horace Silver. I could add to study, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and many of the other fine jazz musicians. It's very uplifting that kids are listening and playing jazz.

katt

Excellent use of rubato. The kid has great timing. Excellent phrasing. He has studied a transcription of Chick's solo. I can imagine him some day wowing crowds by playing duets with Chick or Hiromi.

Yeah I'm preparing to buy his records someday. For some reason he's already in Berkelee. I think he sounds much more interesting than Eldar.

Seems like he can play some other stuff too, check him out doing Billie's bounce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB-557qM498

From what I gather on the clips, he went to Berklee on a 5 week program, I think for young kids. The other clips had all teenagers playing too.

Reminds me of watching a kid in an ice skating competition. Very technical, look at that triple lutz! Not very enjoyable from an artistic standpoint, not swinging. Give me some good old classic Miles Davis Quintet or Wynton Kelly.

Interesting comment. So I guess you can say the same about Chick Corea.

He's no Chick Corea...

Jazz+ you seem to put a wet towel on people or things. Who care's if he ain't Chick Corea!!! the kid is 13!!!!

You and I would both give our right arm to play even half as good, and you know it. The subtle critical jabs speaks of your own blunted musical journey. If you aren't inspired by a guy probably 1/3 to 1/4 your age, then just go home.

Speaking of young prodigies, this kid just won the Montreux Solo Jazz piano competition for 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j04QTyPj7s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1da9ZmOFx7k&feature=related

Well this kid inspires me that's for sure. I bet we've both been playing piano close to the same amount of time (guessing here +/- a year), so it makes me feel I can do better. My curiosity is really in his practice regimen.

explain to me where is "jazz" in that performance because I see more like "trained monkey" thing (no offense meant to the very talented boy) At this age there can be no real music improvisation but imitation. Yeah, people like prodigy kids...

hey tremens, put up some posts of you playing the piano and we'll see how much of a "trained monkey" you are.

If you are willing to be critical than you must be open to criticism yourself. And don't give me no excuse about finding "my own voice". I want to hear you play boy.

tremens, you wouldn't happen to be related to Gyro hey? You just sound like a "trained monkey" version of him, pardon the pun!!

I've heard him play Spain in two videos and he does it completely differently in each case. That's no memorized routine my friend. I wish I could have that kind of phrasing and time. He's on his way to doing a duet with Chick like Hiromi. Speaking of Hiromi, I believe she did the duet with Chick at a young age too though older than Gadi here.

Stylistically, he has more taste than Eldar.

Not to worry Wiz...I've known my buddy Delirium for years.

hey wee, I think you need to take away Delirium's Kenny G and Yanni albums, he's gotten confused as to what jazz is!!

And neither are you... let's hear your version of Spain.... yeah thought so.

I can see nothing but praise for Gadi's piano playing talent. It takes some players 10 years of heavy duty training and study to get to his proficiency and technical ability.

Whether he is copying other player's styles is insignificant, because he can do it and many others try and can't get it or eventually get there through hard work. He is an explorer, he's young, bright, thirsy for knowledge. He may turn into a great composer, a conductor, a concert pianist, who knows.

Other pianists will be jealous when they hear a kid so young kickin' butt, laying down some heavy duty jazz. But to me, it's inspirational, I might even transcribe some of his lines and see what his fingerings are.

I imagine he is also a good sight reader and is developing a good basic theory study. The kinds of teachers and mentors he chooses will be imperative to his development.

Hopefully, Gadi is cutting a CD now, so we'll see if he releases something.

We all have our opinion about musical prodigies, but I support 100% his drive and passion to study and play jazz piano at such a high level.

katt

That sounds about right for a 'Good' player. Most never make it to even this level. He would put most graduates of Jazz Colleges to shame. Heck, how long does it take for a beginner to even learn how to swing properly, let alone playing at that speed? That's not even considering the note choices. Now learning to swing like Chick Corea is even another matter.

I guess you all should stop playing now, because there is no sense if young boy can do this after year or 2 of playing piano...so why waste time?

LOL, tend to agree that could be a rational conclusion.

I like this better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Z5ll568M0

Boy not me, I continually listen to advanced jazz musicians and it pushes me to keep learning new stuff, it's inspiring, motivating. I pick up things here and there that I filter into my own sound. I'll play and study jazz piano till I play the final bar, and I'm put on hold until further notice, somewhere in eternity.

Many fine jazz pianists, Oscar P, Kenny Werner have talked about hearing Art Tatum and other great ones and depressed them so much, they stopped playing for awhile. But of course they continued and look how they evolved.

I took some lessons from a leading, very busy jazz pianist in LA and he said he was depressed when he went to see Cuban jazz pianist, Gonzalo Rubalcaba. But the teacher is a great player that anyone would agree who has done the homework.

But there is always gonna be a better player, but somewhere all of us fit into the scale and keep going and on our toes.

katt

Use common sense, D.
This kid probably has 5-7 years of piano under his belt.

Per this link, it says he has been playing jazz for a year and a half and classical before that. He probably started as a 3 year old!

http://barbara.tumblr.com/post/169862297/gadi-lehavi-watch-out-jazz-lovers-the-young

yeah right, let's use common sense - 1.5 years of jazz training only and before that maybe few years of classical
piano. There is no magic in life, if you cannot hear no swing and no feel in his playing that's not my problem. Almost all classic trained kid can learn few jazz standards and result will be the same. They don't because they don't like jazz as simple as that. Jazz it's not just dry technique. He will be probably very good but in 10 years or so.

p.s.
let's spend same amount of time on practicing as on internet and forums and we'll be all prodigies in no time...

Rumor has it that tremens posted his music on a jazz forum and people laughed at him...

I think the kid has incredible talent for sure.. although he is not "complete".. his timing as not consistent sometimes, and the blues clip was great but I hear a lot of things he could work on.. but it doesn't take away the incredible achievement he's made so far.. I'll be interested in how he develops.. early talent always don't translate to success later on but I think its great he is getting the oppertunity to do so much at such a young age.

Hahaha...is Tremens the younger alter ego of Gyro, too funny man!! According to him, we should all stop playing piano, never listen to anyone else lest we imitate, and just "dig in"!!! this is cracking me up!!

Tremens, man up and post some of your piano playing. No one is taking you seriously here. Keep talking though, it reveals how you're just a wanna-be musician with no talent.

Such as misconception Delirium.

What makes Jazz all that different from Classical music? The rules of harmony is the same. The importance of time is the same. If you've been exposed to Jazz early and understand the rhythmic underpinnings, and you have good ears, you would have learned the basics of Jazz early on without playing a single standard.

Now if you tell me that a kid learns all of piano and Jazz within a year-and-a-half then I'd be flabbergasted.

I think this kid has learned much faster than typical, but I don't think it's an unreasonable achievement. But it does indicate where he can go.

And yes, swing is about as absent from his playing as it is from Chick Corea. And I don't swing much like Duke Ellington so you can add me to that list.