Jazz Articles about Monty Alexander

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Monty Alexander: Goin' Yard

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

Monty Alexander has been flirting the recording of Jamaican music, the music of his homeland, for over the past two decades, when he started recording his Ivory And Steel albums on Concord. Even those initial Ivory And Steel efforts were recorded eight years apart, and the bulk of his recording activity--and the bulk of his reputation--have relied on his feel-good jazz swing. Accompanying singers, performing solo or in his own trio or playing as part of a larger band like ...

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Monty Alexander: Island Grooves

by Dave Hughes
January 1, 2001

I don't often review reissues, but here's a particular noteworthy re-release of two albums that somehow escaped my attention in the 80s, especially being the steel drum lover that I am. Concord has launched a reissue series which pairs two similar albums by an artist on a specially-priced 2-CD set. In this case, it's Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander's collaborations with steel drum virtuoso Othello Molineaux, 1980'sIvory & Steeland 1988'sJamboree. These discs will be immensely satisfying both to lovers of straight-ahead ...

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Monty Alexander: Island Grooves

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 2000

With a few minor detours along the way, such as a mere stint with Frank Sinatra or recording more traditional jazz piano albums like Steamin', Monty Alexander keeps going back to his Jamaican roots. Now that he's recording again with musicians Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunham, not to mention work with guitarist Ernest Ranglin along the way, Alexander is gravitating again and again to his niche as the finest pianist combining jazz and Jamaican rhythms.Recent releases, such as ...

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Benny Golson Funky Quintet: That​’​s Funky

by C. Michael Bailey
April 1, 2000

Part 1: Way Back When. I had a colleague that always insisted that the Creedence Clearwater Revival’s recording Green River sounded better on vinyl than remastered for compact disc. I compared the two and I found this to be true, but probably not for any sonic reasons. Analog recordings are almost always warmer and rounder than their digital counterparts. There is something about that slightly “muddy” sound (and if you are wondering what I mean by that, listen to the ...

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Monty Alexander: Monty Alexander Meets Sly and Robbie

by Ed Kopp
April 1, 2000

Hot on the heels of Stir It Up, his popular Bob Marley tribute album, Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander has joined forces with reggae's most famous rhythm section, Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass).

While Stir It Up offered jazz versions of reggae songs, this follow-up studio release delivers reggae versions of familiar jazz numbers with a couple of soul covers thrown in. The music is radio friendly, but the beats are mechanical. And unfortunately, Alexander displays little of the ...

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Monty Alexander: Stir It Up: The Music Of Bob Marley

by Douglas Payne
September 1, 1999

Proof, as if any was still necessary, that Reggae king Bob Marley wrote songs melodic enough for jazz. Grover Washington, Jr. was one of the first during the 1970s to do jazz covers of Marley's music. Then guitarist Charlie Hunter put the definitive stamp on his 1997 cover of the Natty Dread album. Now comes Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander's Stir It Up: The Music Of Bob Marley, a fine yet ultimately frustrating tribute.Alexander's been around since the mid ...