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Monty Alexander: Impressions in Blue
A versatile musician with chops to spare, Alexander is equally at home on adaptations of classical pieces like Rodrigo's "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor" (the oft-recorded composition first made popular by Miles and Gil Evans) and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" as he is on a pair of gospel-tinged Ellington tunes. Of special note are a trio of songs associated with Nat King Cole, which feature some fine swing guitar work from John Pizzarelli, taking time off from those ubiquitous casino commercials.
As an heir to the mainstream piano trio tradition of Oscar Peterson (and Cole and Art Tatum before him), Alexander certainly knows how to swing hard, but there's also an underlying breeziness to his playing that comes to the fore on three original tunes (collectively titled "Where the Trade Winds Blow"), each inspired by a different Caribbean island.
Alexander heads way out west to close this enjoyable journey, following in Sonny Rollins' footsteps with a lighthearted romp through Johnny Mercer's "I'm an Old Cowhand."
Track Listing
Blue Rhapsody; En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor; Come Sunday; Creole Love Call; Accompong; Point-A- Pitre; Eleuthra; Jumpin At Capitol; It
Personnel
Monty Alexander
pianoMonty Alexander
Album information
Title: Impressions in Blue | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Telarc Records
About Monty Alexander
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