Alex Koo (幸, pronounced /koː/) isn’t your typical jazz pianist. Half Belgian, half Japanese, he was raised in a quiet corner of West Flanders by a former missionary and a peace activist—an upbringing between cultures, and his music reflects exactly that.
Jazz, contemporary classical, indie, and film music bleed into one another in his cinematic soundworld, trademarked by long arcs of improvisation, lyrical compositions and unexpected silences.
Starting as a classical piano prodigy at age five, he fell hard for jazz in his teens—later drawing praise from artists like Brad Mehldau, Kenny Werner, and Kurt Elling, and receiving international acclaim as “stunningly original” (Downbeat Magazine) and “of the same rare level as Keith Jarrett” (Trouw).
His breakout album Appleblueseagreen (2019)—a haunting trio with Mark Turner and Ralph Alessi—was named one of Downbeat’s Best Albums of the Year. His latest, Blame It on My Chromosomes (W.E.R.F. records – 2025), pushes further into emotionally rich, genre-defying terrain: a deeply expressive record shaped by his long-time trio—drummer Dré Pallemaerts and bassist Lennart Heyndels—with a striking guest appearance by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.
Koo has received a number of significant honors along the way: Fulbright Scholar, BAEF Fellow, Prinses Christina Concours winner, and composition prizes on both sides of the classical–jazz divide. Already at age ten, he was a laureate of the Cantabile Concours, where he also received the Emmanuel Durlet Prize (best interpretation) and the Chris Van Hoof Prize (youngest laureate).
He studied at the Conservatories of Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and New York University (Steinhardt) on a full scholarship, where he also taught as adjunct faculty. Today, he is professor of jazz piano at LUCA School of Arts in Leuven—though he’s never been particularly fond of the term “academic.”
Live or on record, Koo’s music feels like a film that hasn’t been made yet. Sometimes it’s tender. Sometimes chaotic. Sometimes quietly absurd. But always unmistakably his.
“Isn’t it gorgeous.” – BBC (UK)
“Contemplative yet lively, peace-seeking but intense, contrasts abound as Koo embraces jazz’s freedom of expression without forsaking technique” – ★★★★ – Mojo (UK)
“One of the special pleasures of listening to jazz in the 2020s is hearing lineages that surprise. Those thoughts recurred in listening to the latest from Belgian/Japanese pianist Alex Koo. His distinctive blend of jazz, neoclassical, ambient and minimalism is built on a solid foundation of contemporary jazz romanticism” – ★★★★ – DownBeat (US)
“Alex Koo has as many shimmering facets as a diamond” – ★★★★ – Jazzthetik (DE)
“Koo is more than a combination of the extended piano jazz story around Evans, Jarrett, Mehldau, Moran, Iverson and so on. Koo is Koo, please keep it that way!” – ★★★★★ – Concerto (AT)
“Heerlijk album van een toptalent” – ★★★★ – De Standaard (BE)
“A wealth of great music, a delightful excess of ideas and class (…) Koo’s playing is insane. Absolute world class” – ★★★★ 1/2 – Written In Music (NL)
“Un album qui restera comme un des meilleurs de 2025” – ★★★★ – Le Soir (BE)
“An exquisitely velvet tone, wonderful rhythmic timing, memorable melodic riffs and a preference for harmony over dissonance, the latter used judiciously in the overall blend.” – UK Jazz News
“Op zijn nieuwe album is Alex Koo authentieker dan ooit” – ★★★★ – Trouw (NL)
“Without disguising their technical mastery, the trio refrain from any gratuitous virtuosity. The chemistry is born of a complicity that allows spontaneity and generosity to shine through, without either partner ever seeming to try to take all the limelight.” – ★★★ – Jazz Mag (FR)
“Belgium is too small for pianist Alex Koo” – De Tijd (BE)