Alex Koo
Son of a Belgian missionary sent to Japan in the seventies and a Japanese peace activist, pianist and composer Alex Koo (幸, pronounced koː) refuses to be boxed into any traditional category. As the renowned German Jazzthetik magazine put it, “Alex Koo defies categorization.”Praised as “stunningly original” (Downbeat Jazz Magazine), Koo is known for creating music that transcends genre boundaries, blending jazz, indie, contemporary classical and film music with innovative freedom. A native of rural West-Flanders, Belgium, 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 Kurt Elling, Kenny Werner, and Brad Mehldau. Koo has even been described as “of the same rare high level as Keith Jarrett” (Trouw). His 2019 album, Appleblueseagreen, featuring Mark Turner and Ralph Alessi, was included in Downbeat’s Best Albums of the Year.
His newest album Blame It on My Chromosomes, released on Feb 7th 2025 (W.E.R.F. records), features his long standing trio with Dré Pallemaerts on drums (Toots Thielemans, Melanie de Biasio, Stéphane Belmondo, Bert Joris), and Lennart Heyndels on double bass (Jef Neve, Ben Sluijs, Kaja Draksler), representing the very best of the Belgian jazz scene. Their intuitive chemistry and artistry are the driving force behind the new album’s emotive power, with special guest Ambrose Akinmusire adding a transcendent layer on two standout tracks.
