Alex Koo Trio

‘Belgium is too small for pianist Alex Koo’, according to newspaper De Tijd. As the son of a Belgian missionary sent to Japan in the seventies and a Japanese peace activist, the West-Flanders born pianist refuses to be boxed into any traditional category. He began his musical journey as a classical piano prodigy at the age of five. In his teens, he developed a passion for jazz and improvisation, earning praise from jazz legends such as Kenny Werner and Brad Mehldau. Now he will perform music from his recent album Blame It on My Chromosomes, which features star trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.

With ten remarkably personal compositions, Blame It on My Chromosomes is more than a musical statement—it is a form of self-therapy, a way to ‘ventilate and surrender to the music,’ says Koo. ‘Music should have a deeper meaning than just self-promotion. For me it is about accepting who I am and letting go of everything else.’ Like on the album, Koo will perform with his long-standing trio with Lennart Heyndels on bass and Dré Pallemaerts on drums, who provide daring ensemble playing and musical fireworks.

Alex Koo piano, Lennart Heyndels double bass, Dre Pallemaerts drums