Jazz Great Takes His "Uplift" Rhythm To Three States
NEW YORK, NY (Monday – June 17, 2013) Grammy-nominated, Jamaican-born jazz great, Monty Alexander is on a mission in his 51st year of music – taking his “Uplift” rhythm to as many fans as possible across the U.S. and around the world.
Fresh from headlining the Dominica Creole Music Festival in the Caribbean, Alexander and his Grammy-nominated band, The Harlem Kingston Express, will bring their foot-tapping, hip swinging jazz to Washington, D.C.’s prestigious club, Blues Alley at 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, from June 20th through 23rd.
The performance at 8 and 10 p.m. nightly comes as Alexander’s new album release “Uplift 2” on the JLP label, remains on the Jazz charts amidst rave reviews.
“I look forward to having another opportunity to play with my ensemble, Harlem-Kingston Express, for my long-time, faithful friends, as well as new friends who may visit with us,” said Alexander. “I and my colleagues will be celebrating our ‘One Love’ experience as well as the ‘Joy of Life.'”
From D.C., Jamaica’s Commander of Distinction and The Harlem Kingston Express will head to Allegheny, PA for a free performance at the South Park Amphitheater from 7:30 p.m. on June 28th.
He will end Caribbean American Heritage Month in Rochester, NY at the Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 29th from 9 p.m. where he is one of the headliners at the free show, set for the City of Rochester East Avenue & Chestnut Street Stage.
About Monty Alexander
Over his stellar career, Alexander, whose influence combines that of Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris and Nat “King” Cole, has performed with international stars including 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.
In fact, it was Sinatra and his best friend Jilly Rizzo who hired Alexander after he moved to the United States in 1961 at the age of 17. And it was at Jilly’s famed New York City nightclub that this Jamaican teen caught the ears of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Milt “Bags” Jackson.
Bags introduced him to the great bassist Ray Brown, and the rest as they say, is history, including Alexander’s 1976 Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival performance with drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton, which has become one of the most celebrated live recordings in contemporary jazz.
