Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
Kandace Springs Sings Billie Holiday
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
“Origin represents a turning point for me,” said Joey Alexander of his new recording on Mack Avenue.
(Photo: Courtesy Mack Avenue)Mack Avenue Music Group has signed Joey Alexander. The pianist’s label debut, Origin — his first album of all original compositions — is slated for a spring release.
A child prodigy who taught himself to play jazz at age 6, Alexander came to the attention of international audiences when he won the Grand Prix at the 2014 Master-Jam Fest as a 9-year-old. A year later, he played Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis and released his first album, My Favorite Things, on Mótema. That album was nominated for two Grammys, making him the youngest Grammy nominee ever.
Alexander, now 18, is stepping out as a composer and bandleader as well as a virtuoso pianist. “These past years have been especially trying for everyone, including those of us who didn’t know when we would ever perform for live audiences again,” Alexander said. “Origin represents a turning point for me — the time when I decided to turn frustration into an opportunity to truly express myself and to rise above the circumstances.”
The new album will feature saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Kendrick Scott and guitarist Gilad Hekselman. DB
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
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