Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

LIVE REVIEW January 28, 2020

Charleston Jazz Festival 2020

Various Venues Charleston Jazz Festival Charleston, SC January 23-26, 2020 Jazz Festivals are like people, six years old is still in infancy, but everything has to start somewhere. Historically, the city which gave birth to the Charleston dance craze and was the inspiration for Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, deserves The Charleston Jazz Festival. The first evening of music was given by local bands at Joe Clarke's recently opened Forte Jazz Lounge on King Street, where ...

RADIO November 24, 2019

Monty Alexander, Trombone Shorty, Bonerama And More

By Joe Dimino

This week we open with a titan in the world of jazz, Monty Alexander. He does his rendition of “Day O Banana Boat" and discusses his latest Monk album and so much more. We also feature a Frank Sinatra tune to memorialize a big moment in the life of Monty. From there, we focus on the world of New Orleans with a host of artists, from James Martin to his friend Trombone Shorty and back to a legend like Pete ...

LIVE REVIEW September 10, 2019

Monty Alexander at the Avalon Theater

By Geno Thackara

Monty Alexander and Friends The Avalon Theater Easton, MD August 31, 2019 “Ten years," Monty Alexander wryly observed at the center-stage microphone with a disbelieving shake of the head. “Ten years of this festival, and 75 years as me." It was a celebration of multiple anniversaries at the weekend-long Labor Day jazz celebration that bears his name. The Jamaican pianist was in fine spirits talking about his most recent birthday milestone—more so than usual, that ...

INTERVIEW July 19, 2019

Monty Alexander: Still Rolling

By Geno Thackara

If there's one defining quality to Monty Alexander's music, it's joy. An unmistakable undercurrent of happiness has been constant across several decades, dozens of recordings and countless performances all over the world. He could be honoring classic jazz balladeers, exploring the danceable “riddims" of his native Jamaica or anything in between, and you can always hear the spirit of celebration in there somewhere. Alexander turns out to be just as delightful and effusive in conversation as he is ...

RADIO November 12, 2018

Monty Alexander Live at BIMHUIS Amsterdam

By BIMHUIS

Monty Alexander is back to Bimhuis with his trio after his sold out gig in 2013; a fresh opportunity to catch the famous pianist in an intimate setting. Monty Alexander's playing balances jazz, soul and Caribbean styles such as calypso and reggae. As a teenager the pianist moved from Jamaica to New York. He played with Frank Sinatra and Ray Brown and made his breakthrough as a solo artist in the 1970s. Personnel: Monty Alexander ...

LIVE REVIEW February 15, 2017

Monty Alexander Trio at Longwood Gardens

By Geno Thackara

Monty Alexander Trio The Ballroom at Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, PA February 11, 2017 It's generally a good sign for any show if the players onstage are smiling and laughing more than anyone else in the room. If there's been one main constant to Monty Alexander's music over his 59-year career, it's an irrepressible positivity that runs through everything in any mode or style. His nimble piano might incorporate the blues and reggae roots of ...

NEW YORK @ NIGHT February 14, 2017

Monty Alexander: Looking Back

By Peter Jurew

Monty AlexanderJazz Standard jny: New York, NYFebruary 1, 2017 A lot has changed since I started covering the New York beat for All About Jazz in mid-2016. In that time, we have witnessed epic changes in our city, our country, our world--changes that are already affecting our culture, including and perhaps especially jazz and, in the broader context, African-American life. How can music journalists remain unaffected? Since the presidential election in November, rather than ...