Monty Alexander Trio for this first Sunday in June – Recorded at Festival de Chåteauvallon on November 7, 1978 and broadcast by Radio France.
Monty Alexander is joined by Reggie Johnson on bass and Frant Gant on drums.
From Monty Alexander’s Website:
Sixty years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy© nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. A perennial favorite at Jazz festivals and venues worldwide, his spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.” In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae.
Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing), the Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000 and conferred on him the national honor of the Order of Jamaica in 2022 for “Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally”. In 2018 the University of The West Indies bestowed him with an honorary doctorate (DLitt) in recognition of his accomplishments.
Monty Alexander is now:
The Honorable Dr. Monty Alexander, O.J., C. D.
So there – Dive feet-first into this Monty Alexander gig from November 1978 and give Sunday its much needed rest.
