1. Monty Alexander
One of Jamaica’s most successful jazz musicians, Monty Alexander can’t be labeled as merely a jazzman. His unique pop, calypso, and reggae inspired sound has long defied the traditional categories of bop and swing (though he plays the standards with the best of them)—and a half-century of music-making later, Alexander is still bringing island sounds to jazz clubs around the world. (Just last week, he presented a performance entitled “Jazz around the West Indies” at Dizzy’s in Lincoln Center).
The self-taught pianist got his start playing ska and reggae in Kingston (here’s his ska version of jazz standard “Summertime,” complete with melodica), and after moving to the US in the early 1960s, his virtuosic playing led him to gigs with Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, and Frank Sinatra. Though his jazz pedigree is impressive, with collaborators including Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, and Bobby McFerrin, it’s Alexander’s enthusiasm for music of all genres that’s brought him such a wide audience. He is equally praised for his covers of Al Green and King Tubby, and has no qualms about riffing on “The Entertainer” or even the theme from Shaft. Together with his longtime collaborator (and teacher) Ernest Ranglin, the pianist has ensured that Jamaican music remains a vital part of the international jazz scene. Watch below as the duo, along with Chronixx, talk about what it means to make truly Jamaican music after their joint performance at NY’s legendary Blue Note in January: