Monty Alexander - The Montreux Years.

Monty Alexander

The Montreux Years

(BMG)

By Paul Davies.

The latest in the supreme vinyl roll-out of seminal jazz shows recorded at Montreux, these judiciously selected highlights of Monty Alexander's concerts, between 1993 - 2016, showcases this virtuoso jazz giant's remarkable abilities. His musical skills shine even harder on this remastered and restored HD audio heavyweight vinyl collection that's also available on CD. Doffing his hat to his Caribbean roots, Alexander plays a laid-back sublime take on Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry culled from a 2014 performance. Although his first appearance at The Montreux Jazz Festival was in 1976, the earliest recordings here are three tracks taken recorded in 1993 where skilfully skating around on his piano he plays beautifully on Linstead Market and Renewal with his Trio.

Having recorded and performed with a heady mix of artists ranging from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Barbara Hendricks, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Sly & Robbie, all of these experiences have fed into his own compositions and interpretations giving Alexander an individual aspect to his musical stylings. Night Mist Blues from 2014 and 2016's The Work Song and Hurricane Come and Go stylishly reflect this with the Harlem Kingston Express. Crying, A Nod To Bob and The Serpent, performed with The Jamaican Project, give ample opportunity to compare and contrast between these outstanding ensemble of players on this album of Monty Magic.