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This sort of talent is quite beyond any equivalent in classical, because so much more EXPERIENCE is required to improvise at this level.
But he's only 10; so where does that experience come from?
Can't quite figure that out.
In truth: I am gobsmacked by these videos. They impress me so much more than anything comparable in the classical world of prodigy.
I'm going to see him for myself May 27, at Scullers in Boston. He is perplexing.
I'm don't know enough about jazz piano improv to stick my neck out. But, off the top, I'm stunned. We know what Mozart did as a kid. But as amazing as that sort of talent is, it was very easy, at one level, to trace it to the trad he was trained in.
This kid can't be explained so easily (not that it's easy to "explain" Mozart (just one example))... because there's so much MUSIC that has to be absorbed and digested to do what he's doing at his age.
The only jazz equivalent I'm aware of is this trumpet player, who is also an accomplished classical trumpeter. Every few months I watch this video from when he was 11 and he sat in at a club with a pianist and bassist. Both are fairly well-known and respected jazz musicians but they were shocked. The reactions of the bassist as the song progresses are priceless.
Similar to Joey Alexander, it's hard to believe that he knows so much jazz vocabulary at such a young age. He also has the tone and control of a seasoned professional.
The only jazz equivalent I'm aware of is this trumpet player, who is also an accomplished classical trumpeter. Every few months I watch this video from when he was 11 and he sat in at a club with a pianist and bassist. Both are fairly well-known and respected jazz musicians but they were shocked. The reactions of the bassist as the song progresses are priceless.
Similar to Joey Alexander, it's hard to believe that he knows so much jazz vocabulary at such a young age. He also has the tone and control of a seasoned professional.
I am not surprised by prodigies. They happen more than you think. It's a coming together of all the right elements at the right time, like an Erroll Garner or even The Beatles. It takes a kid that is able to and LIKES to practice all day and is exposed to the right influences and lessons. It is built upon an obsession that turns out quite positively. Obviously Joey is extremely advanced for a 12 year old.Personally I find him no more interesting than the hundreds of players in their twenties that can play as well.
All the hoop-la and attention is not good for him psychologically as a growing artist.
anyway, if he's that good, hopefully someone will record all his improvs and at a later age someone will find value in his canonic "compositions"
practice helps, but natural talent for a given area is a must. This is why parents should keep an eye on their kids and encourage their given talents. Much better than just raising another future slave in a suit.
unlocked by keys wordless poetry sings free - piano music -
The only jazz equivalent I'm aware of is this trumpet player, who is also an accomplished classical trumpeter. Every few months I watch this video from when he was 11 and he sat in at a club with a pianist and bassist. Both are fairly well-known and respected jazz musicians but they were shocked. The reactions of the bassist as the song progresses are priceless.
Similar to Joey Alexander, it's hard to believe that he knows so much jazz vocabulary at such a young age. He also has the tone and control of a seasoned professional.
Waw!
Check him out now ! !3 and two CDs.... his homepage has some clips of his music. Awe-inspiring for us mere-mortals.
Saw Joey at the Jazz Standard in NYC. Already a master at the age of 12. He played lots of really deep and spiritual music that wasn't on his album ("I Loves You Porgy", etc.) in addition to the lighthearted stuff; I've never seen someone evolve his jazz style at such a young age before. And he said hello to everyone after the show; he's a very nice person with a great family.
And all I can say is that he should play "Footprints" at every show...
I think there's a very instructive contrast between Joey Alexander and Geoff Gallante. Both musicians have a couple of years' worth of stuff up on YouTube now, so we can see some record of their development.
Gallante is a prodigiously talented musician, but he's still finding his way as an improviser. He has obviously absorbed a ton of jazz vocabulary. He is developing an individual voice. Still, one can clearly hear the wheels turning when he solos: running scales against the changes; playing from guide tones; using licks and melodic paraphrase; et cetera.
Alexander, by contrast, at the same age, is just on another planet, producing beautifully formed and amazingly self-assured music. He listens deeply to his bandmates. Every note he plays seems to arise from some interior source of invention, in a way that doesn't depend on formulaic or pedagogic approaches to improvising.
I believe the difference between the two is that, while Gallante is inarguably a prodigy, Alexander is a genius, a once-in-a-generation talent.
Unfortunately, judging from Gallante's recent CDs and public appearances, it seems that the adults around him are allowing him to be placed on the fast track to pop stardom, which he apparently embraces but which doesn't bode well for his development as an artist.
To be fair, horn players with concert-level chops have commercial opportunities that jazz pianists don't, so I can understand the temptation.
Nevertheless, I'm really glad to see that Alexander's family and professional advisors seem to be making room for him to continue growing as an artist, without trying to cash in on the notoriety that his age produces.
... here's my interview with Joey Alexander about a year and half ago I think it was .. I know that you know where it is 
