Monty Alexander | Uplift | TheUrbanMusicScene.com

Monty Alexander

Uplift (Live)

(JLP-Jazz Legacy Productions)

A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway

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With over 60 albums under his belt (and yet another besides this one due before summer), Jamaica-born jazz pianist Monty Alexander still sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever…and astoundingly masterful given his self-taught origins. Mr. Alexander’s passion and world travel experiences have seasoned him into one of the top players on the planet – one definitely deserving of wider recognition. Uplift, his new live set, is further evidence of his greatness, versatility and charm.

Uplift is culled from piano trio performances straight out of Mr. Alexander’s private stash of live recordings from over the last three years. Though stemming from multiple shows, the songs that Alexander and producer John Lee selected and sequenced make a perfectly well-rounded program that feels like one amazing concert. Mr. Alexander is ably accompanied by bassist Hassan Shakur and drummer Herlin Riley (with Frits Landesbergen replacing Riley on one).

Our virtual concert begins with “Come Fly With Me,” a dazzling opening nod to Frank Sinatra, the superstar who, in the early `60s, was instrumental in supporting Mr. Alexander in the United States by hooking him up with a residency at Jilly’s in New York City when he was but 19. A stirring salute to “the saloon pianist in Alexander’s soul,” this piece proves he knows how to show a crowd a real good time. It is followed by the steak and baked potato backbeat blues of the Ray Charles jam “One Mint Julep.”

“Renewal,” the first of three Alexander originals, finds the pianist taking the listener on fanciful flights that will have their head in a whirl of driving swing and exceeding elegance. The old Harlem Globetrotters theme “Sweet Georgia Brown” opens with solo piano then takes off into a brisk statement of the theme before Monty’s off on another playful jaunt – even dropping in a nod to “Jimmy Crack Corn!” This is the sound of a master at capricious play, willing the ivories to do whatever he well pleases. A noggin’ dizzying series of trade-offs with drummer Riley makes the audience go wild!

“I Just Can’t See For Lookin’” simmers things down with a lil’ quaint uptown swing that houses a teasing-pleasing upright solo from Shakur. It is followed by Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis’ “Django” which acts as a loving homage to the many fine musicians associated with the classic song – many of whom Mr. Alexander knew personally. It opens like a reverent eulogy, brightens into a mid-tempo groove that’ll send toes-toe-tappin’ then concludes with a deep bow finale. Next is “Body and Soul” – usually a ballad – arranged here to open as a light and breezy waltz (complete with a quote from “London Bridges”) then slips seamlessly into a snare-brushed swing over which Mr. Alexander’s fingers joyously dance around the keys. Monty’s massaging of the notes at the 3:57 mark will send caterpillar chills up your spine.

The second Alexander original, “Hope,” is a rapturous musical story told over a Bohemia After Dark beat that one drops down into a reggae skank before Shakur delivers an Arco bowed signal to return to the head which Monty takes to bed…lullaby style. For the celebratory and fittingly “uplifting” finish, Alexander dials up his own wistfully reflective “Home” as a solo piano calypso intro that leads into a modal fantasy take on Blue Mitchell’s “Fungii Mama,” an Island Jazz classic to which Monty tosses in breaks from “The Flintstones” to Thelonious Monk…with a conga line out the door!

In Jamaica, Monty Alexander was given his country’s highest honor – Commander in The Order of Distinction – “for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador.” Uplift is but the latest document of his zestful brand of piano protocol.

– A. Scott Galloway

The Urban Music Scene