JAZZ PIANIST JOEY ALEXANDER PLAYS THE BLUE LLAMA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Pianist Joey Alexander

In 2018, I heard jazz pianist Joey Alexander live for the first time. He made history, opening the 2018-2019 Paradise Jazz Series at age fifteen. I recall him fascinating the series regulars with his journeyman piano command and ability to make his sidemen appear bigger than life. Since then, he has put out nine albums and performed regularly as a featured soloist with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Now he's twenty-one, leading a highly touted jazz trio with drummer Johnathan Barber and bassist Kris Funn. On Friday night, they played the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, MI, presenting mainly songs from Alexander's new album, "Continuance." It was an hour of expertly executed jazz. The trio members were evenly yoked and effortlessly roamed each other's musical psyches. They started the second set with "Remembrance" and soon after won over the capacity crowd with a reupholstered version of "My Favorite Things." Here, Alexander showed off his pristine and multi-layered chops. Sometimes, the music was so moving and compelling that he played standing on his tiptoes, like Keith Jarrett, who often plays standing when the music moves him. I've noticed Alexander's influences aren't always obvious like other accomplished jazz pianists. For example, after hearing Jason Moran's solo, it's clear that pianist Jaki Byard influenced him. The same goes for pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Witnessing him running through chord changes, it's clear that pianist John Hicks was his north star. With Alexander, I was immediately drawn to how perfect his playing is, how comfortable he is with standards, and how adult his original songs are. He's also masterful at quickly drawing a crowd into his orbit. He has always had a strong command of the piano and, surprisingly, the stage. That was clear during his Blue Llama debut.