Grammy-nominated Caribbean jazz pianist Monty Alexander returns to the U.S. for performances at Boston’s legendary Scullers Jazz Club on April 26 and New York City’s famous Birdland Club Jazz Club from May 7-11.
On the heels of his new album, Harlem-Kingston Express:Live and now in his 51st year as a musician, Jamaican-born Alexander is In high demand with performances that has him globetrotting and city-hopping.
Monty was scheduled to take his brand of stirring jazz to the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland from April 16-20, then return to the U.S. for performances in Boston and New York City, before heading to the nature isle of Dominica for the first time. There, he will headline the increasingly popular Dominica Jazz ‘n Creole Festival on May 19 at the Cabrits National Park.
“For many years, I have harbored the desire to be able to visit one of the beautiful islands in the Caribbean: Dominica,” Alexander reportedly said. “I have had friends of Dominican heritage, including Connie Kay, the great drummer from the great Modern Jazz Quartet. To be able to bring a musical offering to Dominica makes my visit extra special,” according to CaribPR Wire.
Monty’s Grammy-nominated band, The Harlem Kingston Express, will add to the experience that combines traditional jazz with the rocking rhythms of Jamaica, resulting in a sound that is uniquely Jamaican and Alexander’s.
“Harlem-Kingston Express: Live!” was nominated for a Reggae Grammy and won rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The London Evening Standard and Jazz Times, among dozens of other media houses.
Alexander’s U.S. performances come as the pianist’s new album release, Uplift 2 on the JLP label, sits at #2 on the Jazz charts.
2013 Performance Dates:
Switzerland – Bern Jazz Festival – April 16-20.
Boston, MA – Scullers Jazz Club – April 26.
News York City – Birdland Club Jazz Club- May 7-11.
Dominica, W.I. – Dominica Jazz ‘n Creole Festival – May 19.
Washington, D.C. – Blues Alley – June 20-23.
Pittsburgh, PA – South Park Band Shell – June 28.
Rochester, NY – Rochester International Jazz Festival – June 29.
About Monty Alexander
Over his stellar career, Alexander, whose influence combines that of Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris and Nat “King” Cole, has performed with international stars including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
In fact, it was Sinatra and his best friend Jilly Rizzo who hired Alexander after he moved to the United States in 1961 at the age of 17. And it was at Jilly’s famed New York City nightclub that this Jamaican teen caught the ears of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Milt “Bags” Jackson.
Bags introduced him to the great bassist Ray Brown, and the rest as they say, is history, including Alexander’s 1976 Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival performance with drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton, which has become one of the most celebrated live recordings in contemporary jazz.
For more on the Caribbean’s greatest jazz pianist and his music visit www.montyalexander.com.
