Folly Jazz News
by Doug Tatum
Executive Director, Folly Theater
The Monty Alexander Trio will close this season's Folly Jazz Series on Saturday, May 10 . By combining his Jamaican roots with American jazz traditions, Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. In a career that spans more than four decades, Monty's ex huberant piano style has excited audiences worldwide . He has recorded over sixty CDs under his own name, and has appeared on hundreds more as a sideman.
Through it all, Alexander has continued to draw inspiration from the great icons of American music and popular culture. Monty states, “All these people came from struggling circumstances. They didn't go to music school. They came from the street. Nat Cole, Sinatra, Louis Armstrong – they all had to hustle to get where they got. It's that story of people who can grow up in America or come to America and achieve something just because they have this great attitude and they have the talent to go with it, and they reach for something and they get it.”
In many ways, Alexander has lived that same story. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, he took his first piano lessons at age six. As a youngster, he was often invited to sit in with the bands of prominent musicians working in Jamaican nightclubs and hotels. During his teen years, he experienced live performances by Louis Armstrong and Nat “King” Cole, among others, in Jamaica . The shades of joyful gospel music had a profound and lasting effect on Monty's own style, originally inspired by the technical brilliance of Oscar Peterson and the soul of Gene Harris and Nat “King” Cole.
Alexander even tually formed a band called “Monty and the Cyclones,” which landed several songs on the Jamaican music charts between 1958-1960. Monty came to the United States in 1961. Less than two years later, he landed a gig with Art Mooney's orchestra in Las Vegas , where he caught the eye of New York City club owner Jilly Rizzo and his friend, Frank Sinatra. Rizzo hired the young pianist to work in his club, where he accompanied many well-known performers, including Sinatra. He also met Milt Jackson, who hired Monty to work with him, and eventually introduced him to bassist Ray Brown, with whom he subsequently recorded and performed on many occasions. One introduction led to another, and before long he was working with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Sonny Rollins.
Separate and apart from being the best musician he can be, Alexander has said that his most important objective is to express the joy of music to all within earshot, regardless of prevailing differences in taste or culture. “My goal is to uplift,” says Alexander. “The piano, to me, is a vehicle for connecting to other human beings. I'm very open to all forms of music. I'm not a bebop musician, I'm not a calypso musician, I'm not a reggae musician. I'm a musician who loves it all.”
Don Mather, writing for MusicWebInternational.com summed it up nicely by stating, “Monty Alexander is now right at the forefront of jazz piano players world wide, a visit to any of Monty's live performances is guaranteed to lift the soul, his playing is the essence of jazz. He has absorbed all that has gone before and evolved a style that is uniquely his own.”
Tickets range from $15 - $30, and members of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors receive a $3.00 discount. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website: www.follytheater.com.
Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater
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