Pianist Joey Alexander has a few associations with the onset of summer. "I think summer is a time where we flourish," he tells WBGO. "It’s a time of maturing. So I decided to write this tune in the sense of being hopeful, looking forward to a time when we can perform, and in this uncertainty, we don’t feel obligated and we don’t feel stuck."
The song to which Alexander is referring is "Summer Rising" — his new single on Verve, premiering today at WBGO. With a vibrant melody and a flowing pulse in quintuple meter, it features Jaleel Shaw as a special guest on alto saxophone, along with Daniel Winshall on bass and Tyson D. Jackson on drums.
"Summer Rising" is the third standalone single that Alexander has released this spring, following "SALT" (in March) and "Under the Sun" (in April). "All three songs I wrote during the height of the pandemic," Alexander says. "And to me, 'Summer Rising' — I would say basically it's about, in this uncertainty: how do we rise above it?"
He spent a week working on the composition, starting with the foundation of groove. "Then I started to create that mix of contrasts between beauty and also some rough edges, like we're facing now," he says. "A little bit of tension. I was trying to find that tension in this song, while also — I'm always striving for beautiful melodies. I thought ‘Who would be the best to play it?’ And Jaleel Shaw, he played so beautifully."
The song's title originated with the word "Rising," with the "Summer" coming later: "To put the words together, as 'Summer Rising,' sounded really nice." Asked whether there was any intentional connotation in the homophone pronunciation "summarizing," Alexander laughs. So it's pure coincidence that this song feels in some respects like a culmination of his recent efforts as a composer-bandleader.
Alexander, who of course was once hailed as a child prodigy, will turn 18 in June. His Verve debut Warna received a warm reception, but since its release — in January 2020, a couple of months before the pandemic lockdown — there has been precious little time on the bandstand, and more opportunity for self-development.
So it's tempting to receive Alexander's three new singles, unattached to any album, as a pandemic status update. The pianist would prefer to consider them an offering. "I thought these songs were solid musically, so why not just release them and see how people would react?" he says. "I'm not really focusing on the marketing or how well it sells, but the music. It's what people need during this time."
"Summer Rising" is available today on Verve. Hear Joey Alexander on Morning Jazz, playing music from Warna in January 2020.
