- Monty Alexander Jamericana
- Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m.
- Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Seattle
Nearly sixty-five years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy-nominated legendary pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. A perennial favorite at Jazz Festivals and venues worldwide and at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has performed and headlined concerts 23 times since 1976, his spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.” In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae—and gives the hardcore-jazz-obsessed much to dig into while also communicating the message to the squarest “civilian.” Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing), the Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000.
In 2022 the Jamaican government conferred on Monty Alexander the national honor of the Order of Jamaica for "Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally".
With his Harlem-Kingston Express, he brings together musicians versed in both reggae and straight-ahead jazz, creating a brew that’s danceable and lilting and often ramps up from hypnotic to electrifying. - Will Friedwald, The Wall Street Journal
Entry deadline is April 20, 2026.
