Jazz Pianist Monty Alexander Revisits His Jamaican Musical Roots
Originally aired on July 11, 2007.
Tom Fudge: If you follow jazz closely, you have probably heard of Monty Alexander. The jazz pianist has spent a lot of time performing with the top names in jazz, people like Milt Jackson and Ray Brown. His style of playing and his technical virtuosity has inspired comparisons to Oscar Peterson.
The other thing you should know about Monty Alexander is that he's originally from Jamaica. That's where he first played music. He's well schooled in the musical styles of the island. In fact, he's recorded two albums of jazz interpretations of Reggae master Bob Marley's music.
Alexander will also be playing at the 4th Annual Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival , which begins tomorrow night and runs through Sunday.
Guest
- Monty Alexander , jazz pianist from Jamaica who has a career spanning more than four decades. He has recorded over 60 albums and performed with musical icons such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and Sonny Rollins.
