JUNE 5-16 | 41ST ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
Over his career, pianist Monty Alexander has garnered acclaim for bridging American jazz and the music of his native Jamaica, and he returns to SFJAZZ with his trio in a celebration of his 80th birthday and the release of his new album D-Day.
Ranking in the top five in Gene Rizzo’s exhaustive book The Fifty Greatest Piano Players of All Time, Alexander began his piano journey at four and quickly absorbed the folk music of the Caribbean that surrounded him. Pivotal experiences at concerts by the likes of Eddie Heywood, Nat “King” Cole, and Louis Armstrong during their swings through Kingston and the supreme influences of Errol Garner and Oscar Peterson put Alexander on his path to jazz. By the early 60s he was firmly established in New York, working with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to Milt Jackson and Ray Brown. Since then, he has recorded over 40 albums as a leader, each bearing the marks of his Caribbean roots. In 2022, Alexander received the Order of Jamaica for "Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally" by the Jamaican government.
Alexander’s 80th birthday is June 6, 2024, which is also the 80th anniversary of D-Day — the pivotal Allied invasion of France in WWII — an event that inspired the name of his new album.
“An effervescent pianist and one of Jamaica’s proudest musical exports” (NY Times), Alexander bridges jazz and Jamaican music. He returns with his trio to celebrate his 80th birthday and his new album D-Day.
Pianist Monty Alexander has been bringing jazz back to reggae music (and vice versa) for decades.
all music guide
Pianist Monty Alexander has been bringing jazz back to reggae music (and vice versa) for decades.
all music guide
Personnel
Monty Alexander piano
Luke Sellick bass
Jason Brown drums
An effervescent pianist and one of Jamaica’s proudest musical exports
the new york times on monty alexander
Personnel
Monty Alexander piano
Luke Sellick bass
Jason Brown drums
An effervescent pianist and one of Jamaica’s proudest musical exports
the new york times on monty alexander
Watch & Listen
Monty Alexander
Bemsha Swing
Monty Alexander (feat. Hassan Shakur & Herlin Riley)
Renewal
Monty Alexander
Bemsha Swing
Monty Alexander (feat. Hassan Shakur & Herlin Riley)
Renewal