Lex Korten
Lex Korten (b. 1994) was born and raised in New York City. Surrounded by an enormous rotating library of music in the household, Lex fell in love with Jazz around the age of 10 after being exposed to the sounds of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. He found his first mentor, Brooks Hartell, through the backpack newsletter of his elementary school (P.S. 87), and was guided into the life-changing discoveries of Wynton Kelly and Jaki Byard, amongst many other lifelong heroes. Lex’s development continued at the Stanford Jazz Workshop in California for 6 summers; he also studied throughout high school with Taylor Eigsti and eventually Fred Hersh. Lex was awarded by the National YoungArts Foundation for Jazz Piano/Composition before graduating in 2012 from the High School for Math, Science and Engineering in Harlem.
Lex attended the University of Michigan to study with Geri Allen while pursuing a dual degree in political science. His years of close proximity with the scene and history of Detroit marked an extremely transformative period, thanks also to a tight group of inspired peers and an unforgettable cross-collaborative community in Ann Arbor. Lex was mentored closely for two years by renowned pianist Benny Green and also learned from Marcus Belgrave, Robert Hurst, Andrew Bishop, Ellen Rowe and Rodney Whitaker in the classroom and on the bandstand.
After graduating with his BFA in Jazz Studies in 2016, Lex Korten returned to New York City. Since then, he has established himself as an irreplaceable young voice drawing a common thread between many different communities surrounding Jazz and improvised music. This is shown clearly by the kind of bandleaders who are seeking him out. He’s lucky enough to be central in the musical activity of his generation’s most ambitious leaders including Joel Ross, Morgan Guerin, Simon Moullier, Sasha Berliner, Ben Solomon, Milena Casado and countless others. Korten is also a prolific writer and bandleader with several highly anticipated recording projects. His solo piano debut "Foreword" released independently on June 18, 2021. He aims to learn from his peers, elders and youngers while continuing to compose and lend his voice to the ongoing dialogue occurring within the world of Black American Music.
Appears on:
OOYH 024: Hannah Marks - Outsider, Outlier
OOYH 029: Alfredo Colón - Blood Burden