Alex Koo (BE)

Alex Koo defies categorization according to the renowned German Jazzthetik. Meanwhile, in his home country, he is hailed as the enfant terrible of Belgian jazz (RTBF). For the Belgian-Japanese piano talent, who began as a classical prodigy at the age of five and has since been praised by jazz icons such as Kurt Elling, Kenny Werner and Brad Mehldau, his core values are authenticity, curiosity and playfulness.

Acclaimed as ‘stunningly original’ by the prestigious Downbeat Jazz Magazine, his album Appleblueseagreen, featuring heavyweights Mark Turner and Ralph Alessi, was selected in Downbeat’s Best Albums of 2019. Nationally, superlatives are also brought forth: Belgium is too small for pianist Alex Koo (De Tijd).

His most recent solo album, “Etudes for Piano” (W.E.R.F. Records) was described as “an intriguing blend of classical and jazz, where the name Keith Jarrett often comes to mind. Not because Koo’s playing resembles that of the American master, but because it is of the same rare high level” (Trouw). The originality of his music is also evident in his piano playing: “Alex’ fabulous technique, sounding downright genius at times, is the basis for this dizzying tour de force of an album. He is also a superbly original composer.” (London Jazz News).

In his Alex Koo Trio, he is joined by drum icon Dré Pallemaerts (Toots Thielemans, Melanie de Biasio, Stéphane Belmondo, Bert Joris) and bass virtuoso Lennart Heyndels (Jef Neve, Ben Sluijs, Kaja Draksler). This Belgian trio guarantees adventurous compositions, hypnotic improvisations, and dynamic interplay.

No matter how Koo twists and turns and seems to grab it energetically, the piano becomes  a hamster wheel. Clever head, this half-Japanese. Bad Alchemy

Such bravura, such virtuosity. (…) Stunning record. De Standaard

Koo’s compositions and playing are absolutely world class. Written in Music

A colorful album that keeps the listener on the edge of his seat for almost forty minutes. L’Echo