Jamaica’s International Jazz Great Monty Alexander To Bring Warmth To Atlanta

Monty Alexander brings a special blend of jazz to each performance. (Crush Boone image)

CaribPR, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Feb. 18, 2014:  Jazz great and Jamaican-born Commander in the Order of Distinction, Monty Alexander, is set to bring a musical wave of sunshine to the Peach State this Saturday.

Described as “one of the most eclectic pianists you’ll ever hear” by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Alexander will play the famed Clayton State University’s Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia this Saturday, February 22, 2014 from 8:15 P.M.

Spivey Hall is renowned internationally for its superb acoustics, is home to the award-winning Spivey Hall Children’s Choir and Spivey Hall Young Artists and has become one of the places to play on the American classical and jazz music circuits.

The Grammy-nominated musician says he hopes the thousands of Caribbean nationals in Atlanta will come out as well this Saturday to enjoy the musical blend he will be offering – a unique blend of traditional jazz coupled with the contemporary Caribbean up-tempo reggae blend that has made him popular around the globe.

Atlanta jazz fans can get tickets here now or by logging on directly to https://itkt.choicecrm.net/templates/CLAY/

ABOUT 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, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others.

Alexander’s collaborations span multiple genres, styles, and generations. His projects have been as varied as assisting Natalie Cole in her tribute album to her father, Nat “King” Cole in 1991 (the resulting album, Unforgettable, won seven Grammy awards), performing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” under the direction of Bobby McFerrin at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and recording the piano track for the film score of Clint Eastwood’s Bird, a movie about the life of jazz titan Charlie Parker.

In August 2000, the Jamaican government awarded Alexander the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador. Two collections were released in 2011 that capture the excitement of Monty Alexander’s live performances around the world: Uplift, a trio album on JLP Records, and Harlem-Kingston Express on Motema Music.

‘Harlem Kingston Express: Live!,’ was singled out by both the recording industry and fans and received a Grammy award nomination in 2012.

In the summer of 2012, Alexander was awarded the prestigious German Jazz Trophy, “A Life for Jazz” and in November 2012 he received the Caribbean American Heritage Luminary Award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington, D.C.

For more on the Caribbean’s greatest jazz pianist and his music visit www.montyalexander.com.