Joseph Malicke started playing viola and violin in orchestra at eleven. He picked up the guitar at thirteen and began composing at fourteen, writing hundreds of orchestral pieces. At sixteen he started piano with a teacher who held a doctorate in composition, and at eighteen he began recording. He has written and recorded his own music ever since.
In his twenties he played in duos, improvising jazz with an upright bassist and playing with a flutist and singer-songwriters. He built his own recording studio and learned every step of making a record: writing, playing, engineering, mixing and mastering. In 2021 he founded his own label, Musical Universe Factory, named for what he wanted his life to be about: creating musical universes. It sells his records directly, starting with Cherry Blossom (2025). His favorite musicians include Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Yusef Lateef, Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, Nick Drake, Blind Willie McTell, Charley Patton and Blind Willie Johnson.
To joEy, music and spirit belong together: “Eternal Crane is Daoist, but it’s interfaith. It’s music and spirit.” He founded Eternal Crane in 2026 to give back. Its piano, improvisation and theory lessons are free on YouTube, and each one pairs a piece to play with a spiritual teaching; its studies and improvisations go out live. It’s also a place to belong, for anyone, musician or not. He teaches the way he plays: openly, with no such thing as a mistake.
“Give back, joEy. Start Eternal Crane. … It’s for them.”
