Joey Alexander

Josiah Alexander Sila (born 25 June 2003), known professionally as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician ever to be nominated at the Grammy Awards and performed at the ceremony as well. His debut album My Favorite Things peaked at #59 on the Billboard 200.

Widely regarded as a wunderkind, Alexander was mentored in jazz piano by his father. He won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest when he was nine. and both parents were fans of jazz, particularly Louis Armstrong. He is the nephew of rock singer Nafa Urbach and Indonesian musician and songwriter Alam Urbach. He learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him. learning by ear compositions such as Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" and other songs from his father's collection. Marsalis said of him: "There has never been anyone that you can think of who could play like that at his age. I loved everything about his playing—his rhythm, his confidence, his understanding of the music."

In September 2016, Alexander released his second album, Countdown (Motéma Music, 2016), named after the John Coltrane track. It featured his trio of Dan Chmielinski and Ulysses Owens, augmented by bassist Larry Grenadier and saxophonist Chris Potter. On 28 April 2017, Alexander made his debut appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

September 2017 saw the release of Alexander's third album, titled Joey. Monk. Live! (Motéma Music, 2017), is a collection of seven songs by Thelonious Monk recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room in June 2017, released concurrently with his nomination as Music Scholar by the T. Washington Scholars program in August. His fourth album, titled Eclipse (Motéma Music, 2018), was released in May 2018.

On 18 August 2018, Alexander performed at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 2020, Alexander released Warna, his fifth album under Verve Records. His sixth album, Origin, was released on 20 May 2022 by Mack Avenue. It is Alexander's first album of entirely original compositions. Past collaborators Kendrick Scott and Larry Grenadier return, with featured musicians Gilad Hekselman and Chris Potter.

Discography As leader My Favorite Things (Motéma, 2015) Countdown (Motéma, 2016) Joey.Monk.Live! (Motéma, 2017) Eclipse (Motéma, 2018) Warna (Verve, 2020) Origin (Mack Avenue, 2022) Continuance (Mack Avenue, 2023) Celestial Keeper (Mack Avenue, 2026)

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards Year Category Work Result 2016 Best Improvised Jazz Solo "Giant Steps" Best Jazz Instrumental Album My Favorite Things 2017 Best Improvised Jazz Solo "Countdown"

Panasonic Gobel Awards Year Category Work Result 2016 Special Events "Special Interview Joey Alexander with Najwa Shihab"

Anugerah Musik Indonesia Year Category Work Result 2018 Best Jazz Instrumental Artist "Moment's Notice"

Libera Awards Year Category Work Result 2024 Best Jazz Records Continuance