Inspired by the music of his native Jamaica, pianist Monty Alexander has, over a career spanning five decades, successfully blended and bridged a variety of genres – from pop to American jazz to calypso and reggae – to come up with a sound that is both expressive and engaging.
A busy touring and studio musician, Alexander has performed and recorded with an equally diverse list of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Ray Brown, Quincy Jones, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and many others.
In 1991, he worked with Natalie Cole on a tribute album to her father, Nat King Cole, one of Alexander’s earliest musical influences. The album won seven Grammy awards. Alexander also contributed the piano track for the film score for Bird, the Clint Eastwood-produced movie about jazz icon Charlie Parker.
In the early 1960s, Alexander and his family relocated to the US, and he wasted no time in integrating himself in the American jazz scene. Moving from Las Vegas to New York and beyond, Alexander soon caught the eye of some of the top names on the scene, among them Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Count Basie.
Largely self-taught, Alexander was listed among the top five jazz pianists in Hal Leonard’s book, The 50 Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time.
In 2000, he was also awarded the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government for his outstanding services to his country as an international ambassador of music.
To date, he has recorded over 60 albums as a band leader, including the much lauded 1976 Montreux Alexander live album, also featuring drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton.
In 2005, Alexander teamed up with top Jamaican musicians at Tuff Gong studios and recorded Concrete Jungle, a 12-track album featuring Bob Marley compositions reinterpreted through Alexander’s jazz piano arrangements.
His latest releases include 2009’s Calypso Blues: The Songs of Nat King Cole, and 2011’s Uplift which, according to music critic John Lee, is a masterpiece.
Monty Alexander Harlem Kingston Express will be performing at the Malta Jazz festival on July 14.
www.maltajazzfestival.org