The SA piano that inspired a Grammy-winning maestro

When Steven Feifke’s parents emigrated to the Unites States (US) from South Africa three years before he was born, they took their piano with them. It was that instrument that he was drawn to as a baby, tinkering on the keys. Today, at the age of 31, he’s an award-winning pianist, composer, conductor, educator, and one of the most in-demand artists of his generation, and he won a Grammy Award on 5 February.

“It’s surreal,” says his thrilled father, Derek Feifke, from their home in Boston, Massachusetts. “He’s been dedicated to his craft since a young age. We used to have to pull him away from the piano to do his homework! At the Grammys, he was up against icons of jazz, so that moment truly felt unbelievable. I’ve always joked, ‘Maybe one day you’ll win a Grammy,’ but I never knew that one day he would actually realise that dream.”

Steven was at the awards with his parents, fiancé, and brothers – one of whom flew in from Berlin to surprise him. The award, for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album was given to his Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra (GGJO). He formed it with Bijon Watson to bring together a big band featuring some of the most well-known names in jazz as well as less established and younger musicians. Their objective is to strengthen the tradition of mentorship that has defined jazz since its earliest beginnings.

The Grammy is the pinnacle of a lifetime dedicated to music, and also credit to family and educators who backed Steven every step of the way. “My father, Sidney, played the piano, and Steven, who never met him, was named after him,” says Steven’s proud mother, Carole Feifke. “My father could sit down and play anything by ear. I also played the piano, and it was a shared passion with my dad, and then with my son. My parents loved all music, especially jazz.”

That generational link has come full circle in Steven, and Carole became his first piano teacher when he was a few years old. “He took to it like a duck to water. He then started lessons, and at the age of 10, said he wanted to learn jazz. I was like, ‘What does Steven know about jazz?’ but that was that,” she says. “And just like my dad, he can sit down and play anything.”

Steven’s aunt, Belinda Assaizky, in Glenhazel, Johannesburg says, “We’re in awe. He’s so humble, and so deserved it. I had a feeling he would win. Steven is such an accomplished artist and so dedicated. He didn’t expect to win, and was up against six top-class nominees. When I spoke to them after he won, they were at the theatre, with the blue lights and the gold palm trees. Steven also performed at the after party.”

In a previous interview with avid.com, Steven recounted the value of educators. “When I was about eight, I had a teacher named Susan Capestro, who immediately started coaching me in composition. I didn’t realise that’s what it was at the time, but during our very first lesson, she asked, ‘Play me a waterfall.’ Like any little kid, I ran my thumb down the piano. She’s like, ‘Okay, what happens when the water hits the ground?’ and I crashed my hands to the keys! Susan recognised before I did that I had an affinity for composition in addition to improvisation. She really nurtured that element of my musicality.”

His father also comes from a musical background. “I’ve always loved music,” says Derek. “I was in a band in high school in Johannesburg, playing at weddings and Barmitzvahs. And my late father also loved jazz.”

Growing up in Lexington, Massachusetts, Steven had access to a top-class jazz programme in the school system. He also attended the New England Conservatory preparatory school in Boston, and would book shows for himself to feature his compositions. “That experimental and adventurous writing process is something that has never really left me. I always make sure that I have time to just sit at the piano, write, and play. Playing and writing are very connected for me,” he told avid.com.

He went on to pursue an undergraduate degree at New York University in 2009, minoring in economics and majoring in music. “I would ask him, ‘How are you going to make a living playing music?’ but this was his passion,” says his father. “He never had a plan B. It’s wonderful to witness his creative process. He’s worked so hard in a tough industry.”

Steven then did a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with luminaries of composition and orchestration. Being in New York throughout his studies, he was in the “mecca of jazz”, and was taught by or played music with people he had always admired.

International tours across Europe, Africa, and Asia and more than 30 albums all before turning 30 have established his name as a global presence in jazz. He has performed at venues like Club Coca-Cola, in Times Square, and at the Rockefeller Center.

He has also written commissioned works for notables like the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Malmo Big Band, and the New Generation Festival, and is the recipient of numerous awards. His compositions and orchestrations have been featured on hit TV shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on Netflix, Impractical Jokers on TruTV, Animaniacs on Hulu, and the 2016 award-winning animated short Solo.

His 2020 album Kinetic marked his studio big-band debut, featuring an 18-piece ensemble made up of players from the frontline of the contemporary jazz scene.

A respected educator, Steven is assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. He also sits on faculty at The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and has appeared as a guest lecturer and guest artist at educational institutions around the US. He’s co-founder of A Step Ahead Jazz, an online music-education platform for musicians of all ages and abilities.

Reviewing the GGJO album, Jack Bowers of AllAboutJazz.com wrote, “Regardless of any age discrepancy within its ranks, the GGJO is a truly remarkable ensemble, and its debut album – the hope is that many more will follow – is sharp and radiant from start to finish. As for listeners, may they never be too young or too old to appreciate high-calibre jazz that swings as hard and as often as this.”

The family remains tied to its South African roots. “The South African Jewish community is so remarkable, united, and impressive, setting an example for the rest of the world in unity and the values which were instilled in us,” says Derek.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think Steven would win a Grammy, but he’s committed, passionate, and in love with music,” says Carole. “Let your kids follow their path, even if it’s not what you envisaged. They’ll find their way.”