Monty Alexander
| Monty Alexander | |
|---|---|
Monty Alexander at Ronnie Scott's, London
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Montgomery Bernard Alexander |
| Born |
6 June 1944 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Jazz, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano, melodica |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Pacific Jazz, RCA, Verve, MPS |
| Associated acts | Milt Jackson, Ray Brown |
| Website | montyalexander |
Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (6 June 1944, Kingston, Jamaica) is a jazz pianist who sings and plays the melodica. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop and soulful blues melodies. He was influenced by Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Les McCann, Ahmad Jamal, and Wynton Kelly. Alexander is known for his surprise musical twists and the ability to build dramatic suspense in his playing.
Alexander discovered the piano when he was four years old, took classical music lessons at the age of six and became interested in jazz piano at the age of 14, and began playing in clubs, and on recording sessions by Clue J & His Blues Blasters, deputising for Aubrey Adams, whom 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. He went to New York City in 1962, where he started to play at Jilly Rizzo's jazz club Jilly's. In addition to performing with Frank Sinatra there, Alexander also met and became friends with bassist Ray Brown and vibist Milt Jackson. In California, in 1964, Alexander recorded his first album, Alexander the Great, for Pacific Jazz at the age of 20.
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