At 13, pianist Joey Alexander heads back to the Grammys
NEW YORK (AP) — Joey Alexander, the 13-year-old jazz pianist, broke ground after scoring two Grammy nominations last year, though he walked away from the ceremony empty-handed.
Alexander said he was "thankful" for his Grammy nominations last year, but it was more special to perform on the live telecast and help bring jazz to a stage dominated by pop music.
"Countdown" is the title track from Alexander's sophomore album, released last year.
Like his 2015 debut album, My Favorite Things, ''Countdown also reached No. 1 on Billboard's jazz albums chart.
Though he is heavily influenced by acts like Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, he's a fan of genres outside of jazz.