Monty Alexander on influence of Oscar Peterson

Monty Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express
Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 2:00 pm – Family Concert           
Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 8:00 pm
These are the 512^th and 513^th concerts in Koerner Hall
 
Monty Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express
Monty Alexander, piano
Hassan Shakur, acoustic bass
Dennis Mackrel, drums
Andy Bassford, guitar
Joshua Thomas, electric bass
Karl Wright, drums & percussion
 
 
Monty Alexander                                                                          
In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others.
               Alexander maintains a rigorous touring schedule worldwide, playing in jazz clubs, concert halls, and at international jazz festivals throughout the world. To date, he has recorded over 70 albums as a leader, including Impressions in Blue, Goin' Yard, Concrete Jungle, The Good Life, and Calypso Blues.
               In 2008, at the invitation of Wynton Marsalis, Alexander conceived and directed the acclaimed program, Lords of the West Indies, at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He returned to Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2009 with Harlem Kingston Express, in which he merged classic jazz with rhythms and vibrations of his native Jamaica. Harlem-Kingston Express: Live! was singled out by both the recording industry and fans, received a Grammy Award nomination in 2012, and rose to number one on jazz charts and on world music charts concurrently.
 
Monty Alexander made his Royal Conservatory debut on March 5, 2011