The pianist and composer Alex Koo is the son of a Belgian missionary and Japanese peace activist. His initial musical education was in his hometown of Waregem (Belgium). He then went on to study at the conservatories of Amsterdam, Copenhagen and New York, where he also had a spell working as a university lecturer. DownBeat magazine has praised his music, proclaiming him ’stunningly original’. He is currently Professor of Jazz Piano at the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium. Recently, the album Blame It On My Chromosomes, featuring his regular trio of Lennart Heyndels on double bass and Dré Pallemaerts on drums was released, which also included a guest appearance on two tracks by the great American trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire. The Alex Koo Trio represents the best of the current Belgian jazz scene; their intuitive chemistry and artistry are the driving force behind this music, which transcends genre boundaries. As the renowned German magazine Jazzthetik put it: 'Alex Koo defies categorization'.
