“Countdown” Album by Joey Alexander

Longtime readers of our Quality Linkage column may remember in 2015 when I linked to a New York Times profile of Joey Alexander, an Indonesian child prodigy who plays jazz piano like you wouldn’t believe.

Several months ago he released his second album, Countdown, which has been on my backburner of things to listen to until now. I wish I would’ve bumped it to the top sooner, because wow, what a talent. This kid isn’t just technically proficient; he employs the jazz vocabulary and musical ideas of a much more mature artist. On first listen, you’d be forgiven for thinking him several decades older.

I agree with David Sparks:

My favorite track is “Countdown”. I wouldn’t however listen to that track while driving. I could see myself accelerating to 100mph during the piano solo.

Get the album in the usual places: