Monty Alexander
Encyclopedia
Monty Alexander is a jazz
pianist
and melodica
player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum
, Oscar Peterson
, Wynton Kelly
, and Ahmad Jamal
.
at the age of 14, and began playing in clubs, and on recording sessions by Clue J & His Blues Blasters
, deputising for Aubrey Adams
, who he describes as his hero, when he was unable to play. Two years later, he directed a dance orchestra (Monty and the Cyclones) and played in the local clubs. Performances at the Carib Theater in Jamaica by Louis Armstrong
and Nat King Cole
left a strong impression on the young pianist.
Alexander and his family moved to Miami, Florida
in 1961 and he went to New York in 1962 and started to play at Jilly Rizzo
's jazz club Jilly's. In addition to performing with Frank Sinatra
there, he also met and became friends with bassist Ray Brown
and vibist Milt Jackson
. In California, in 1964, he recorded his first album, Alexander the Great, for Pacific Jazz at the age of 20.
Alexander recorded with Milt Jackson
in 1969, with Ernest Ranglin
in 1974 and in Europe the same year with Ed Thigpen
. He toured regularly in Europe and recorded there, mostly with his classic trio for MPS Records. He also toured around 1976 with the steelpan
player Othello Molineaux
. Alexander has also played with several singers such as Ernestine Anderson
, Mary Stallings
and other important leaders (Dizzy Gillespie
, Benny Golson
, Jimmy Griffin
and Frank Morgan
). In his successive trios, he has played frequently with musicians associated with Oscar Peterson
: Herb Ellis
, Ray Brown
, Mads Vinding
, Ed Thigpen
and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
.
In the mid-seventies he formed a group consisting of John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton
on drums, creating a stir on the jazz-scene in Europe. Their most famous collaboration (and arguably Alexander's finest album) is Montreux Alexander, recorded during the Montreux Jazz Festival
in July 1976.
He formed a reggae band in the 1990s, featuring all Jamaican musicians, and he has released several reggae albums, including Yard Movement (1996), Stir It Up (1999, a collection of Bob Marley
songs), Monty Meets Sly & Robbie (2000), and Goin' Yard (2001). He collaborated again with Ranglin in 2004 on the album Rocksteady.
Alexander married the American jazz guitarist Emily Remler
in 1981, the marriage ending in divorce in 1984.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
, and Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
.
Biography
Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music lessons at 6 and became interested in jazz pianoJazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
at the age of 14, and began playing in clubs, and on recording sessions by Clue J & His Blues Blasters
Clue J & His Blues Blasters
Clue J & His Blues Blasters were a Jamaican band of the late 1950s and early 1960s led by Cluett Johnson, who were one of the first bands to play ska...
, deputising for Aubrey Adams
Aubrey Adams
Aubrey Adams was a Jamaican pianist and keyboard player who was one of the top bandleaders in Jamaica in the 1950s, and led the Dewdroppers as well as playing with Clue J & His Blues Blasters.-Biography:...
, who he describes as his hero, when he was unable to play. Two years later, he directed a dance orchestra (Monty and the Cyclones) and played in the local clubs. Performances at the Carib Theater in Jamaica by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
left a strong impression on the young pianist.
Alexander and his family moved to Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1961 and he went to New York in 1962 and started to play at Jilly Rizzo
Jilly Rizzo
Ermenigildo "Jilly" Rizzo was an American restaurateur and entertainer.-Biography:A long-time friend of Frank Sinatra, Rizzo was mentioned in several of Sinatra's recordings and made cameo appearances in several of Sinatra's films. Mr...
's jazz club Jilly's. In addition to performing with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
there, he also met and became friends with bassist Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
and vibist Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
. In California, in 1964, he recorded his first album, Alexander the Great, for Pacific Jazz at the age of 20.
Alexander recorded with Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
in 1969, with Ernest Ranglin
Ernest Ranglin
Ernest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
in 1974 and in Europe the same year with Ed Thigpen
Ed Thigpen
Edmund Leonard "Ed" Thigpen was an American jazz drummer, best-known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965...
. He toured regularly in Europe and recorded there, mostly with his classic trio for MPS Records. He also toured around 1976 with the steelpan
Steelpan
Steelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
player Othello Molineaux
Othello Molineaux
Othello Molineaux is an acclaimed jazz steelpan player who spent much of his earlier career backing bass guitarist Jaco Pastorius. Additionally, Molineaux has worked with other musicians such as Monty Alexander, Chicago, and David Johansen.-References:...
. Alexander has also played with several singers such as Ernestine Anderson
Ernestine Anderson
Ernestine Anderson is an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than five decades, she has recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival , as well as at jazz festivals all...
, Mary Stallings
Mary Stallings
Mary Stallings is an American jazz vocalist and mother of R&B/soul singer Adriana Evans.-Biography:Mary Stallings was born in San Francisco, one of the eldest of 11 children in the Stallings family; saxophonist Ron Stallings is her first cousin...
and other important leaders (Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Benny Golson
Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
, Jimmy Griffin
Jimmy Griffin
James Arthur Griffin was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter with the 1970s rock band Bread.-Early life:An Academy Award winning songwriter, Griffin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. His musical training began when his parents signed him up for accordion lessons...
and Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
). In his successive trios, he has played frequently with musicians associated with Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
: Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
, Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
, Mads Vinding
Mads Vinding
Mads Vinding is a Danish jazz double-bassist.He is a Danish jazz musicians, and one of the 'aces of basses' with more than 600 recordings to his credit. Professional at age 16, Vinding became the house-bassplayer at Café Montmartre, the legendary jazz club in Copenhagen...
, Ed Thigpen
Ed Thigpen
Edmund Leonard "Ed" Thigpen was an American jazz drummer, best-known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965...
and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
- Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 * Kirk in Copenhagen 1963 * Ben Webster in Denmark 1965-1971 Live at Danish Radio studios, Jazzhus Montmartre and Odd Fellow Palæet - Universal Music Denmark*One Flight Up 1964 *Sunday Walk 1969 - Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 (with...
.
In the mid-seventies he formed a group consisting of John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Jeff Hamilton is the name of:*Jeff Hamilton , of the Los Angeles Dodgers*Jeff Hamilton , ice hockey player*Jeff Hamilton , jazz drummer who has played with Diana Krall...
on drums, creating a stir on the jazz-scene in Europe. Their most famous collaboration (and arguably Alexander's finest album) is Montreux Alexander, recorded during the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in July 1976.
He formed a reggae band in the 1990s, featuring all Jamaican musicians, and he has released several reggae albums, including Yard Movement (1996), Stir It Up (1999, a collection of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
songs), Monty Meets Sly & Robbie (2000), and Goin' Yard (2001). He collaborated again with Ranglin in 2004 on the album Rocksteady.
Alexander married the American jazz guitarist Emily Remler
Emily Remler
Emily Remler was an American jazz guitarist who rose to prominence in the 1980s. She recorded seven albums of hard bop, jazz standards and fusion guitar.- Early Life and Influences:...
in 1981, the marriage ending in divorce in 1984.
As leader
- Here Comes The Sun (1971; MPS)
- We've Only Just Begun (1973; MPS)
- Perception (1974; MPS)
- Rass! (with Ernest RanglinErnest RanglinErnest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
) (1974; MPS) - Love & Sunshine (1974; MPS)
- Unlimited Love (1975; MPS)
- Montreux Alexander (1976; MPS)
- Cobilimbo (with Ernest RanglinErnest RanglinErnest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
) (1977; MPS) - Estade (1978; MPS)
- Jamento (1978; Fantasy RecordsFantasy RecordsFantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
) - So What? (1979; The Black & Blue Sessions)
- The Way It Is (1979 — recorded 1976; MPS)
- Monty Alexander — Ernest Ranglin (1981; MPS)
- Duke Ellington Songbook (1983; MPS)
- Reunion in Europe (1984; Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - Full Steam Ahead (1985; Concord Jazz)
- Triple Treat II (1987; Concord Jazz)
- Ivory & Steel (1988),
- Triple Treat III (1989; Concord Jazz)
- Saturday Night (1999), Timeless
- The River (1990; Concord Jazz)
- Live in Holland (1992), Emarcy
- Carbbean Circle (1993), Chesky
- Live At MaybeckMaybeck Recital HallMaybeck Recital Hall, also known as Maybeck Studio for Performing Arts, is located inside the Kennedy-Nixon House in Berkeley, California, USA. It was built in 1914 by Bernard Maybeck. The hall seats up to 50 people and was designed upon commission for the Nixon family, local arts patrons who...
(1994; Concord Jazz) - Steamin (1995; Concord Jazz)
- Yard Movement (1995; Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
) - Maybeck Recital Hall Series, Vol. 40 (1995), Concord
- To Nat With Love (1995), Mastermix
- Ivory and Steal (1996; Concord Picante)
- Facets (1996), Concord - with Ray Brown & Jeff Hamilton
- Overseas Special (1996), Concord - with Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
and Herb EllisHerb EllisMitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a... - Echoes of Jilly's (1997; Concord RecordsConcord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
) - Reunion in Europe (1997), Concord - with John Clayton & Jeff Hamilton
- The Concord Jazz Heritage Series (1998; Concord Jazz)
- Stir it up - The music of Bob Marley (1999; Telarc)
- Threesome (1999), Soul Note - with Grady TateGrady TateGrady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count...
& Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen - Ballad Essentials (2000; Concord Jazz)
- Island Grooves (2000; Concord Jazz)
- Monty Meets Sly & Robbie (2000), Telarc
- Triple Treat (2001; Concord Jazz)
- Goin' Yard (2001), Telarc
- Many Rivers to Cross (2001), Meldac
- Caribbean Duet (2001), Sound Hills - with Michel Sardaby
- My America (2002; TelarcTelarc International CorporationTelarc International Corporation is an independent record label, based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods...
) - Triple Scoop (2002), Concord Jazz - with Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
and Herb EllisHerb EllisMitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a... - Rhapsody In Blue (Telarc)
- Jamboree (2003), Concord
- Li'ldarlin (2003), Absord Japan
- Straight Ahead (2003), Concord - with Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
and Herb EllisHerb EllisMitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a... - Steaming Hot (2004; Concord RecordsConcord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
) - Zing (2004), BMG
- In Tokyo (2004; Fantasy RecordsFantasy RecordsFantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
) - Rocksteady (2004), Telarc - with Ernest RanglinErnest RanglinErnest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
- Live at the Iridium (2005), Telarc
- Jazz Calypso (2005), JVC
- Concrete Jungle: The Songs of Bob Marley (2006), Telarc
- The Way It Is (2006)
- Impressions in Blue (2008), Telarc
- The Good Life: Monty Alexander Plays the Songs of Tony Bennett (2008), Chesky
- Solo (2008), Jeton
- Taste of Freedom (2008), Universal Japan
- Calypso Blues: The Songs of Nat King Cole (2009), Chesky
- Uplift (2011), Jazz Legacy Productions
- Harlem - Kingston Express Live! (2011) Motéma MusicMotéma MusicMotéma Music is an American record label focused on jazz and world music, as well as other creative projects by virtuosic musicians who also compose. It was founded by Jana Herzen in 2003, and is now based in Harlem, New York City...
As sideman
With Milt JacksonMilt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
- That's the Way It IsThat's the Way It Is (Milt Jackson album)That's the Way It Is is a live album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded at Shelley's Manne Hole in 1969 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.".-Track listing:...
(Impulse!, 1969)